Ever since then we'd been inseparable, a pair of lost souls eking out an existence on the streets of London.
-- James Bowen (chapter 1)

Importance: Bowen's opening chapter is set in the present, and traces one particularly bad day in his and Bob's life. However, after Bob wakes Bowen on the bus before they miss their stop, the narrative shifts into the past. Throughout the expositional passages that follow, Bowen depicts his and Bob's first meeting and evolving friendship. In this moment, Bowen reflects upon what he and Bob have shared and the ways in which Bob has already begun to change him. This line particularly likens Bob and Bowen to one another. Though they are different species, their lives and experiences parallel one another's, thus granting them a ready source of connection. This quotation speaks not only to Bob and Bowen's kinship, but alludes to the author's explorations concerning hope and change.

I felt...
-- James Bowen (chapter 4)