When the wheel is turned, the child spins from the outside wall to the inside of the receiving office. When the door to the torno closes, the child becomes an orphan.”
-- Narrator (chapter 10)

Importance: This is Puri's observation of how the torno works at Inclusa. Puri makes the distinction that the moment the parent, outside the orphanage, places the child in the torno is not as significant as the moment the door closes outside, which is the moment the parent has formally given up the child.

They haven't seen hope eaten by hunger and dignity destroyed. And now, in describing Madrid, the new guidebook says: Everyone who isn't a main had one.”
-- Ana (chapter 29)

Importance: This is what Ana wants to say when she hears people saying that things “aren't so bad” in Spain. Her family is in a desperate situation, and the majority of the population are terrified of being singled out by officials for...