Most of us are safe. If you’re not a delirious dream the gods are having, if your beauty doesn’t trouble the constellations, no-body’s going to cast a spell on you.
-- Narrator (Dis. Enchant.)

Importance: The narrator immediately tries to reassure the reader that they are not in danger by using an unusual tactic, by reminding them of their relative mediocrity. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

End of story. “Happily ever after” fell on everyone like a guillotine’s blade.
-- Narrator (A Wild Swan)

Importance: There is a strong implication that one person's "happily ever after" does not mean it is so for everyone. That happy ending could be a sad ending for someone else.

You imagined, in the long run, a perversely glorious, housebound lasciviousness; a reputation for insanity among the zealots who worshipped banal virtues as if they were glory incarnate.”
-- Crazy Old Lady (Crazy Old Lady)

Importance: After a lifetime of rebellion, the Crazy Old Lady does...