These days her voice sounded like someone else's, like someone she'd hate to have to listen to.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: By the time Samson is in the fourth grade, Sammie has taken on the majority of the maternal and domestic responsibilities. This imbalance in her and Monika's relationship makes Sammie feel alone and unsupported. Therefore, whenever she scolds or reprimands Samson, she feels guilty. Her guilt in turn augments her preexisting feelings of detachment and dissociation. In this moment, her frustration with Samson makes her feel disembodied, as if she is watching herself interact with her son in a way that is unfamiliar and distasteful to her. This moment introduces Sammie's crisis of identity, particularly as it relates to motherhood. She is desperate to be a good mother and not to be like her own mother. However, the more alone she feels, the more unrecognizable she becomes to herself.

Why even take care...
-- Narrator (chapter 2)