Their class had been the first small one in quite some time, and the first in more than three decades to include a black person.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: This line of narration emphasizes the fact that Wallace is a distinct ethnic minority in his graduate program. Additionally, as become apparent in the novel, he is also a minority in the Midwest town that surrounds the university. Wallace's minority status is important not only to understand the racist treatment he frequently experiences, but also to understand the structural and systemic racism that defines much of academia and higher education.

…there is more to life than your pipettes and epi tubes.
-- Vincent (chapter 1)

Importance: In the novel's opening scene at the pier, Vincent (Cole's boyfriend) expresses some disdain and dismissal regarding research and academia. Vincent works in finance, and he seems to view the graduate program as being in some way artificial or inauthentic to the real world...