Jean found herself caught between admiration and envy.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: When Jean first visits Gretchen's home, their meeting is meant to be purely professional. However, almost immediately upon making Gretchen's acquaintance, Jean is overcome by envy. Gretchen's tidy appearance, charming demeanor, idyllic home, and beautiful daughter are all reminders of what Jean does not have. This moment introduces new facets of Jean's character, while establishing the author's interest in exploring envy.

You'd make a good jeweler with those delicate fingers . . .
-- Howard (chapter 4)

Importance: During Jean's first trip to Howard's shop, she is simply in search of information regarding Gretchen's curious story. She does not, therefore, expect to feel an almost immediate intimacy with Gretchen's husband. In this moment, Howard compliments Jean's hands. The moment is disarming, in that Jean has never thought of herself as a beauty. This scene and Howard's words alter how Jean sees herself and foreshadow the characters' coming relationship.

A single...
-- Narrator (chapter 8)