Her voice was muffled, and he knew her head and shoulders were in the bedroom closet.
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 4)

Importance: This quote shows the extent to which Benecke knows his wife. He can recognize where she is and what she is doing purely based on the sound of her voice.

It was hard for him to understand that he actually had to abandon it.
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 16)

Importance: The ‘it’ in this quote refers to the yellow sheet. This quote shows highlights the extent to which Benecke is obsessed with his work. Despite the fact that Benecke would need to risk his life to retrieve the sheet, he still finds it difficult to accept abandoning it.

He simply did not permit himself to look down.
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 25)

Importance: This quote shows that Benecke is suffering from an internal psychological struggle. He has to force himself to resist his impulse of looking down.

Eyes squeezed shut, he watched scenes in his mind...
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 35)