Havana vanities come to dust in Miami.
-- Joan Didion (Chapter 1)

Importance: Didion speaks of 'vanities' in order to demonstrate the Cuban exiles in Miami often had to undergo humiliating shifts in their personal circumstances, going from politicians or respected businessmen in Havana to ordinary and powerless Cuban exiles when they first arrived in the United States. Over the course of the book, she demonstrates how the exile community built up power for itself gradually, but nevertheless emphasizes why many mourn the loss of their Havana identities.

A tropical entropy seemed to prevail, defeating grand schemes even as they were realized.
-- Joan Didion (Chapter 2)

Importance: Didion emphasizes the tropical climate in Miami frequently, drawing attention to how the heat of the climate mirrors the heat of the Cuban exile community's anger, passion, and political determination. Yet, she notes that this heat also leads to entropy, a sort of stifling atmosphere which can be counter-productive even as it is explosive...