Food was made of love, and love was made of food, and if it could stop a child from crying, then there was nothing wrong with that either.
-- Edie's mother (Edie, 62 Pounds paragraph 27)

Importance: This quote defines Edie's relationship with food throughout her entire life.

That happened a lot in the future, in their family, in their lives going out to dinner with Edie sitting at a separate table.
-- Narrator (Edie, 210 Pounds paragraph 52)

Importance: Having a meal together represents bonding, that is if it is successful. Edie's eating alone so much that the children thought everyone did it shows how dysfunctional the family really is. And the fact that this is done in public emphasizes the point. They are far past the point of even pretending that they are a happy family.

'You don't disappoint me,' said Robin.'You disappoint yourself.'
-- Robin (Edie, 241 Pounds paragraph 35)

Importance: This quotation sums up Robin's relationship with her mother and the cause of her mother's inability to end...