I am sorry for what I did, he wished he could tell the police, and immigration, and customs, and his father back home. He wished he could tell them more: that from the day he had become an illegal, he had been trying to reverse things. To find some way around his decision.
-- Narration (First Year as an Illegal)

Importance: Danny is a deeply sympathetic character, which adds further emphasis to the injustice of the situations he faces. Danny tried to enter Australia using legal means. he arrived in the country on a student visa, but then the government denied him refugee status, thereby forcing him to become an illegal immigrant. The above quotation showcases Danny's feelings of regret, which are connected to the xenophobic and intolerant polices enacted by the Australian government.

[Australia is] an island, and you cannot get on or get off without clearance…Understand that every police officer, taxation man, and immigration or...
-- Web Forum Commenter (First Year as an Illegal)