He reached back, raised his whip, and brought it down hard on the horse’s hide: his horse didn’t need prodding, but he liked to whip it anyway. He enjoyed inflicting pain on animals.
-- Narrator (Chapter One paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote describes how innately cruel King McCloud is as he whips his horse, just for the pleasure that he gets in hurting it.

They were loyal for life, and loyal to the death. That was the creed of The Silver.
-- Narrator (Chapter 2 paragraph 2)

Importance: When Gareth’s men come to arrest Kendrick, he realizes that he brothers in arms, The Silver would fight to the death to keep him from getting arrested if he did not stop them.

Gareth sat on his father’s throne in the Grand Hall, rubbing his hands along its smooth, wooden arms and looking out at the scene before him: thousands of his subjects were packed into the room, people flocking in from...
-- Narrator (Chapter 5 paragraph 1)