What was truly surprising, even to himself, was that he had start to look for signs of acknowledgement in everyone he met.
-- Narrator (Bonds)

Importance: The author enacts this moment in “Bonds” to highlight that Bevel’s aloof public persona is underlined by insecurity. While he claims to be disinterested in social interactions or opinions, he needs acknowledgement to bolster his ego. Had he been unaffected by other people’s acknowledgement, his character would not have needed to contort reality for his own aggrandizement.

One way or the other, she had no doubt she would succeed in influencing her husband and obtaining the independence she so longer for.
-- Narrator (Bonds)

Importance: The author utilizes Helen’s decision to marry Rask to assert that independence and solitude are not mutually exclusive. She knows that an alliance with the financier will grant her access to extensive funding and social circles that she would not have been able to...