That was a different kind of disease.
-- Narrator (chapter 4)

Importance: When Emma returns home from California, she reflects on the loss of her natural healing powers, nicknamed the Charm. She is sure that her family wants her to try and heal her father, but remembers how the Charm did not even work to cure Auggie after his subluxation. The charm did not do anything to heal his addiction to pills either. This thought establishes opioid addiction as a disease, and subsequently allows the reader to infer that those who suffer from it are victims. Classifying addicts as victims is a key premise of the novel, and is a belief that indicates that empathy and understanding are the mechanisms for guiding addicts into healing. This is sharply contrasted with the instinctive reaction of many in the town to deem addicts 'criminals' or 'victims.'

An old wound torn open on her first night back...
-- Narrator (chapter 5)