But no one had a happy childhood. No one had a good life.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The longer Seamus is in his poetry program, the more frustrated he feels with his classmates. He is particularly disdainful of their obsession with writing about their pain and trauma. This moment encapsulates Seamus's reasons for feeling this way. He does believe that his classmates have suffered. However, he does not think their suffering is unique or original. Over the course of the chapters that follow, the author proves that this is true: every human life is tinged with trauma and unhappiness. However, Taylor also underscores the ways in which some common experiences of pain might foster empathy and understanding.

You don't know the first thing about cruelty. I should show you.
-- Bert (chapter 1)

Importance: When Bert confronts Seamus during his smoke break at the hospice one day, Seamus does not anticipate what Bert will do to him. In this...