I did it for entertainment.”
-- Boyd (Chapters 1-11)

Importance: This quote from Boyd, which is given as an explanation for why he decided to rob a bank, is significant to the novel's themes about middle age, lassitude, and the sidelining of the American middle class. Boyd is discontented with the collapse of his career and feels compelled to make destructive decisions simply because he is dissatisfied with his comfortable life in Fulda, a referendum on the ways in which capitalism promotes consistent productivity over contentedness. It also quickly establishes the tone of absurdity that pervades the novel, as most of the events that occur because of Boyd's bank robbery are rendered random and pointless by the fact that he had no good reason to do it in the first place.

Life’s for living. If you get to have a big glamorous adventure, why can’t I?”
-- Angie (Chapters 1-11)

Importance: This quote from Angie, which is delivered...