I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. Don't worry, I've left you the truck. I can walk. I will try to remember to come back.
-- Etta (chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: Etta's brief letter to her husband, Otto, tells of her desire to see the ocean and her consideration for him by not taking the truck. Her comment about trying to remember to come back alludes to possible signs of dementia in this 83-year-old woman.

I'm from next door. I'm starving. I'm Russell.
-- Russell (chapter 2 paragraph 14)

Importance: Russell has come to live with his aunt and uncle, the Palmers, who are neighbors to the Vogel family. His family has fallen on hard times and Russell has ingratiated himself into the Vogel family who take him almost as one of their own from that moment. This displays not only Russell's vulnerability but also the Vogels' generosity to include another child into their very large family. Russell and...