Whose happiness are you after, Nikhil-babu? Yours and yours only?”
-- Tripti ("A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness")

Importance: This question from Tripti is posed to Nikhil, and has a direct connection to the title of the story, which also comes from something Nikhil tells Sharma. The significance of the quote is in the ways that it calls out Nikhil's selfishness, privilege, and presumption in his demand that Tripti bear his child for the sake of his and Sharma's relationship. The gap in understanding between what "happiness" means for privileged and underprivileged people is one that Chakrabarti explores throughout the collection.

What if you don’t like what I paint? What if I paint odd things?”
-- Aparna ("Lilavati's Fire")

Importance: This quote from Aparna underscores the lack of agency that she feels in her capacity not only as a wife and mother but also as a woman. Her fearfulness about what Harish might think of the paintings she chooses to make helps articulate...