You were nineteen years old. Legally, you did not belong to us anymore. You belonged to yourself. You belonged to the world.
-- Sam (chapter 1)

Importance: Sam writes in his letters to Julia, a tradition that he has maintained since her disappearance, that he never gave up the hope of finding her alive. This passage highlights the difficulties faced by Julia's family after her abduction because of the general belief that she would come back into their lives of her own volition after following a boy or a friend on a teenage adventure. Sam grapples with the idea that his daughter, who will always be his child, has also grown up, and that she is responsible for the decisions she has made, wherever they may lead her.

Paul had been her physical source. He had given weight to her life, tied her down to the world when her natural inclination had always been to...
-- Claire (chapter 3)