It was an offer to kick open a door in the mansion of their marriage leading to an antechamber of misery.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: This quote occurs during Howard and Kiki's first squabble. It reveals there is long-standing trouble in their marriage, separate from the events that will soon occur. The quote also gives shape to their relationship: it is a "house" with many rooms, doors, and secrets hidden within its walls.

Each couple is its own vaudeville act.
-- Narrator (chapter 5)

Importance: Kiki has this thought when talking with Claire Malcolm and her new husband, Warren. It reveals the bitterness within Kiki, and the negative outlook she now has on new relationships. She is currently attempting to forgive Howard for his infidelity (though she does not yet know it was with Claire), and therefore she understands all-too-well the act of trying to appear a certain way, while secretly feeling completely differently.

A family doesn’t work...
-- Jerome (chapter 5)