Lucas watched the teeth bite into the iron. Simon would have been pulled under the wheel, first his arm and then the rest.
-- Narration (In the Machine)

Importance: This line of narration is from Lucas' first day working at the factory. He is assigned to the same job as Simon, who was killed by the machine in a factory accident. The gruesome description in this quotation emphasizes the fact that Lucas is in danger of meeting the same demise as his brother. Lucas increasingly views machines as sources of both physical and spiritual danger.

My voice goes after what my eyes cannot reach.
-- Lucas (In the Machine)

Importance: Lucas says this involuntarily to Catherine during a conversation that they have. It is a quotation from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and it seems to implicitly emphasize Lucas' feelings of unprofessed and unrequited love for Catherine. These underlying feelings heavily shape Lucas' thoughts and actions towards Catherine throughout the story.

She...
-- Narration (In the Machine)