The problem is that people do not see the connection between an egg placed in their hand, fresh from a chicken, and the egg bought in the store. An egg that derives its warmth from existence inside the body of a chicken is far too fantastic to proceed as usual.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The narrator is amused but not surprised by Helen's uncertain reaction to having a chicken's egg placed in her hand. She observes that this reaction is due to a disconnect in how people think about eggs—they do not consciously recognize that the eggs they purchase in the supermarket actually come directly from chickens. This is one of many instances in which the narrator demonstrates a keen perceptiveness about the way people think and feel and the nature of our relationships with animals.

Do the chickens think of warmer times? They do not. By the time a snowflake has landed...
-- Narrator (chapter 2)