The idea that these days had been taken from her struck me as vile. It was a swallow of curdled milk. It was indecent. There was no justification for the loss of her memories and understanding, no defense the universe could offer for the corruption of her mind.
-- Mike (Snapshot, Chapter 4 )

Importance: This quote is significant because it emphasizes the relationship between loss of memory and death which Mike experiences. Through Shelley Beukes's decline, Mike confronts the realities of loss and grief, and these realities help him come of age. These are realities that he carries with himself into adulthood later on in the novel.

The signal from Radio Adulthood was sharpening by then, making its way through the usual static of adolescence...Radio Adulthood wanted its audience to know that my current theory--that the Phoenician possessed a camera capable of stealing thoughts--was based on the sturdy evidence of an old lady's demented ramblings...
-- Mike (Snapshot, Chapter 8 )