To the east of the pool was a patio with fluted urns sitting upon a sturdy balustrade that opened to a broad staircase stepping down to a clay tennis court with no net and broken standards and a cracked and brittle surface.
-- Trevor (chapter 6 paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote is one of many well-written quotes in which the author describes the state of Riddell House: disrepair and decay. The house is in a similar state of the Riddell family affairs, and Stein uses these passages to demonstrate this.

A lost wedding ring, a missing watch, a spirit in a hidden stairway, dancing footsteps, and a man in the wall calling my name… You brought me to Weirdville so we could tear down the house. But we can’t tear down the house because the man who owns the house thinks his dead wife still lives here.”
-- Trevor (chapter 6 paragraph 4)

Importance: This quote both illustrates the central conflict of the...