You get strong by being disappointed sometimes. I know that is a truth.
-- Belinda (chapter 2)

Importance: As Belinda is trying to break some important and disappointing news to Mary, she frames it with this piece of advice. Belinda has come to think of Mary almost as her daughter, and she wants to take care of the girl who is six years her junior in any way that she can. She and Mary have played games in order for Mary to be quiet and calm, and in this statement, Belinda issues a challenge to Mary to become stronger, to become more accepting of disappointment. The second sentence in this quote hints at Belinda's struggles and adversity that she has overcome thus far. She has been disappointed, and she is stronger because of it. Thinking of Mary as her relative, she wants to pass on this trait to her, and she wants to see Mary...