MORAL: Always leave a little on your plate.
-- Narrator (Argument: The Wolf and the Tarantula)

Importance: The novel begins with a story about a wolf and a tarantula wagering to see which is the more efficient hunter. The wolf wins, but has consumed all of his prey and must now consume his family and himself to survive. The moral of the story is presented by the narrator. Rather than being a random story with a message, the idea that one must always leave a little on one’s plate is essential to the novel itself as Kevern searches for the truth. Getting to the bottom of everything may prove more damaging than not –just as the wolf proving he is the better hunter proved more damaging than not.

The morning after the call he sat on his bench and wondered if he was about to experience happiness and, if so, whether he was up to it.
-- Narrator (Book One, Chapter 3, II)

Importance: The dystopian...