“I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it. It’s the Day blood. Something’s wrong with it. I was never a good little girl, and I got worse after the murders.
-- Ben ( Chapter 1 paragraph Paragraph 1)

Importance: Very early on in the book, this quote establishes the darkness that Libby feels inside of her, something that she believes is shared with her family. It also establishes that Libby has witnessed murders in her life, which is the driving plot of the book.

“But the meanness usually wins out. My brother slaughtered my family when I was seven. My mom, two sisters, gone: bang bang, chop chop, choke choke. I didn’t really have to do anything after that, nothing was expected.”
-- Libby (Chapter 1 paragraph Paragraph 4 )

Importance: This passage highlights the severe depression that Libby faces...