Malliga Homes is not a bad place. It is a rather nice place, in fact.
-- Narrator (Page 2)

Importance: This quotation appears early in the story as the narrator contemplates Malliga Homes. She notes that it is actually quite a nice place to live, equipped with impressive amenities and impeccable landscaping. However, these perks are not enough to convince the narrator that Malliga Homes is where she should be living in her old age. She is connected to Chennai, the city, and desperately wishes to return.

Still, no amount of expensive stone or carefully worded praise from my daughter can change what Malliga Homes is: a place for those who have nowhere else to go.
-- Narrator (Page 2)

Importance: Here, the narrator bluntly and bleakly shares her perception of the purpose of Malliga Homes. Defeated, she feels alone and abandoned living there, even while surrounded by all forms of comfort and luxury. Living at Malliga Homes makes the...