Pappa used to say that the sea was the shape of their lives. They have always lived by its grace, and long have they died on it. But the storm has made it an enemy
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: In the wake of the horrific storm, Maren thinks about how the ocean is, and always has been, intrinsically tied to her way of life in Vardø, such that the two simply cannot be separated. Notably, she and Papua thought of the sea as a sentient being, whose whims could provide good or bad fortune. However, the storm has changed their relationship to the sea. It could always be destructive, and it was always fear and awe-inspiring, but now it has done so much damage that Vardø's relationship to it has become antagonistic.

So it [the storm] was sent for us
-- Toril (chapter 3)

Importance: Toril says this after the villagers learn that no other towns were so...