All of this constituted the core of my brother's life as a good little boy.
-- Howie (N/A)

Importance: This quotation, delivered by the protagonist’s brother during the protagonist’s funeral, establishes the idea that the protagonist began life from a place of innocence and wished to only do what was good and proper. However, this idea creates challenges and problems for the protagonist as he struggles later in life between responsibility and his own desires.

You can do it son…Whatever it is, you never let me down…My two reliable boys!
-- Protagonist's father (N/A)

Importance: The protagonist’s father says this when the protagonist is in the hospital at the age of nine for a hernia operation. The father’s encouragement and moral support illustrates the father’s loving nature. However, it also implies the father’s underlying nervousness and fear regarding the operation, and this implicit fear is shared by the protagonist.

Memorable enough...
-- Narration (N/A)