I have no talent for following rules. I ignore my appointed times. I only go to [Dr. Bek’s] office when I have questions.
-- Joy (Narration)   (Book 1, Chapter 1)

Importance: This quote defines Joy, very early in the narrative, as someone who thinks of herself as independent and self-confident. It is a statement of defiance in which she speaks of the only freedom she actually has, virtually imprisoned as she is in the Hospital. It is, in fact, a statement of bravado, over-compensating in the face of fear and worry.

I do not know her name or where she lives or if she is still alive. Even so I have developed an attachment. I smell grass everywhere. I dream about her. In a different one, we are swimming in the ocean. No land is in sight, but we are not afraid. The water is calm and glistening. We can hold our breath for hours. When I...
-- Joy (Narration)   (Book 1, Chapter 3)