You’re either a fighter or a runner. And runners always run out of road.
-- Louise Flanagan (Ch. 1-7)

Importance: This quote from Mary Pat's long-dead mother functions as a kind of condensed explanation of Mary Pat's own philosophy. It foreshadows her efforts to fight for her daughter's justice rather than escaping to Florida. Furthermore, it speaks to the novel's themes about inheritance and passage across generations of cultural values and ideas.

They keep us fighting among ourselves like dogs for table scraps so we won’t catch them making off with the feast.
-- Mary Pat (Ch. 1-7)

Importance: Mary Pat's analysis of the brewing racial violence in South Boston proves to be an accurate one by the time the novel is out, and serves as an effective summary of the divisive politics that often lurk beneath inherited racism. It identifies the real source of the violence as the wealthy and powerful, a thesis that the novel steadfastly supports.

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-- Ken (Ch. 1-7)