Rye didn’t like it when Gig ran with these union types; he thought their revolutionary banter half foolish and half dangerous...
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: This line of narration establishes a source of slight tension between Rye and Gig. Gig feels a sense of active solidarity with the unions, while Rye feels trepidation. Rye worries that associating with unions will draw aggression from the police. Over the course of the novel, Rye sees the value of unions as a source of justice and protection for workers.

You think a tramp killed that policeman?’…‘Not a chance.’…‘If a bum did it, they wouldn’t wait a day to raid the camp.’…‘And they’d come with more than sticks.
-- Rye, Gig, Reston, Jules (chapter 3)

Importance: This is a short conversational exchange between Rye, Gig, Reston, and Jules. The conversation helps to contextualize the police's mistreatment of them. The police dislike laborers and unionists, and they have used Waterbury's murder...