Bill had grown up believing virtue was a ticket to contentment, but the war had exploded that notion, and he needed something to replace it.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1: California Live Oak)

Importance: Because his parents and grandparents had always seemed to benefit from their virtuous lives, Bill assumed his life would follow the same path. What he saw in the war, however, showed him that just because a person was virtuous it did not necessarily mean he would be treated fairly. He bought the property surrounding the oak tree in hopes of finding new ideas about the reality of life.

Up until this point she had lived mostly inside herself, with the world of other people a destination more attractive in the abstract than in reality.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1: California Live Oak)

Importance: Before she met Bill, Penny was not a people person. She mostly enjoyed thinking about being around other people than actually being around other people.

He was not a man given...
-- Narrator (Chapter 2: The Party)