With the exception of Virgil, that's how the Salinas family was - big personalities that bubbled over like pots of soup.
-- The Narrator from Virgil's Perspective (Chapter 1, "Grand Failure")

Importance: The narrator is describing how Virgil's brothers had greeted Lola when she first arrived. The quote demonstrates Virgil’s emotional isolation through the contrast that it shows in the personalities of Virgil's family members. Everyone is expressive, with the exception of Virgil.

Every time they said it, a piece of him broke.
-- The Narrator from Virgil's Perspective (Chapter 1, "Grand Failure")

Importance: The narrator says this about how Virgil feels when his parents call him Turtle after explaining why his parents do so. The quote demonstrates how people do not feel as if they have a choice when authority figures impose their views upon them. Virgil does not like being called Turtle, but he feels as if he has to live with the nickname his parents have chosen to use until they have decided that he has come out...