Perhaps only two men meeting unexpectedly in the middle of a desert after having traveled for so long would know what we felt like. In the province of the slums we meant little to each other. Here we were everything.
-- Narrator (Section 1 Isaac/Helen Part 1 "Isaac" paragraph 10)

Importance: This quote embodies the building relationship between the narrator and Isaac. They are both unknown men from the streets where typically they would have had nothing to do with each other. They are joined together by the fact that they are both not students at the university, but they try to pass themselves off as if they are. The pair recognize this about each other very quickly, which adds to their bond.

In a life of small town wonders, a man with a passport that had been stamped several times was already extraordinary, and Isaac, by those measures, was remarkable. The more mystery I could attach to him, the more...
-- Helen (Section 1 Isaac/Helen Part 3 "Helen" paragraph 36)