He brooded on his life, and it grew on him until he was rattling around inside of it. Why couldn't she just be thankful to him he always wanted to know.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: This line refers to Jamie's husband, whom Jamie decides to leave due to marital dysfunction and the husband's infidelities. This quotation describes the sense of unhappiness and discontentment that the husband seems to experience. Jamie's own character arc is defined by an arduous journey towards a sense of personal gratitude.

This kind of shit just keeps happening until you’re dead.
-- Bill (chapter 1)

Importance: Bill says this after he drunkenly burns his money and accidentally burns his hand in the process. Bill's statement refers to this misfortune as a type of unavoidable incident, thereby discounting his own actions that led to it. Many characters in the novel struggle with taking personal responsibility when their own poor choices lead to misfortune.

[Bill’s...
-- Narration (chapter 2)