… I became the parent, the benign, elder, with knowledge and some intangible quality of goodness that would allow my students to project onto me the power to contain their aspirations. I’d be the vessel, I’d hold their dreams, whatever.”
-- Narration (Rich) (Section 1, Chapter 1)

Importance: This quote sums up what Rich sees as the attitudes of his students towards him, while the "whatever" at the quote's conclusion suggests the real truth of his feelings about them - that he does not really care, and is somewhat dismissive.

In the gallery there were photos taken by an American soldier during some of the hundreds of trips he’d made while bringing fuel to stranded convoys all over Afghanistan, of the landscape, people, and culture, before he himself was finally blown up and killed. The photos survived. I ate some chocolate-dipped strawberries and talked to a woman with blue streaks in her hair.”
-- Narration (Rich) (Section 1, Chapter 4)

Importance: This fairy cynical...