A killer is what I am. And to top things off I am incapable of punishing myself.
-- Andrew (chapter 1)

Importance: Andrew makes this statement to the therapist in reference to the deaths of Briony and his first child. Andrew feels guilt despite the fact that he was not responsible for either of these deaths, and thus the reader sees the self-blaming tendencies that have arisen from his traumas.

So now Martha had a baby after all, a replacement for her lost child.
-- Andrew (chapter 1)

Importance: Andrew makes this statement in reference to the fact that after Briony’s death, he gave his and Briony’s child to Martha. He did this because he felt that he could not take care of the child on his own, but this quotation implies that he also owed Martha due to the death of their child.

How can I think about my brain when it’s my brain doing the...
-- Andrew (chapter 1)