Being totally helpless was his daily fare at the Mission. Being used to that feeling made it no easier.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Kenny's experience at the Mission School is relevant to all of the other primary characters' experiences at the school. These lines appear at the forefront of Chapter 1, and thus introduce the abusive, entrapping nature of life at the Mission. These are some of the environmental facets of life there that the characters will combat for years to come.

Lucy placed the suitcase on the floor at her feet and sat once again on the bed, numb with the notion of freedom.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Lucy feels immobilized by the prospect of leaving the school, because she has been living at the Mission since she was a little girl. She does not have a concept of freedom, as the Mission is her baseline for home, for family, and for society and reality. Freedom is therefore...