As a young soldier, he'd known from the first that in his talent for stillness lay the key to his survival.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: When the narrator introduces Fidelis's character, she describes him by way of his survival mechanisms. At the start of the novel, Fidelis is just returning from the war. He survived the war the same way he survived his childhood sorrows: by staying quiet and still. Although he is no longer in the war, Fidelis realizes that he still has much to survive. Indeed, he will have to survive the horrors he witnessed, the violence he created, and the traumas he suffered. This moment is essential to understanding Fidelis's complex character, as well as the author's overarching explorations concerning human resilience and survival.

While he nursed his sore muscles, Delphine busied herself with their survival.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: In much the same way that Fidelis has honed the art of survival, so too...