The man who comes should be your father, but I didn't have one at that time and you will never.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Joan begins her account describing her reasons for leaving New York and moving to California. She particularly cites Vic's suicide as her inspiration for relocating. Mentioning Vic compels Joan's descriptions of relationships with older, married men in general. This moment is particularly significant in that Joan attributes her attraction to such men to her longing for her father. She knows that these men are pseudo paternal figures, but acknowledges their ultimate inability to satisfy her true longings. She simultaneously warns her daughter against doing the same, as she knows her daughter will never know her father either. The moment contributes to the author's explorations concerning loss and love, while complicating the narrative point of view.

There was also relief. I had no one for whom to care. No one to...
-- Narrator (chapter 4)