I despised Ophelia’s memories of our mother.
-- Flavia as the Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Flavia tells this to readers when Flavia discovers that Flavia has destroyed the pearls that Flavia has just destroyed that belonged to Olivia, but were their mother’s. The quote shows how dysfunctional Flavia’s family is and explains Flavia’s treatment of her sister. Flavia does not see her sister as part of her family unit. Thus, she sees no reason why she should bond with Ophelia. She only sees Ophelia as the person who has what she wants and can never have which is memories of her mother. She despises Ophelia because she has these memories. The quote also shows that things are not always as they seem. At the beginning of the narrative, readers may feel sorry for Flavia because her sisters tied her up and locked her in the closet. However, the missing information is what Flavia did...