The last thing she said to him was: “I hate you because I’m going to die and you’re going to live.” As he glanced up at a seagull, he thought, But I’m not living, Betsy. What a terrible joke it has been.
-- Jack Kennison (Arrested paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote presents the overwhelming loneliness that surrounds Jack's life in the wake of his wife's death. While dying, she expressed that she hated him, yet in looking back, he still misses her company and is filled with regret for the ways he mistreated her. The phrase, "I'm not living" conveys how empty his life has become without her, a pattern that is repeated throughout the chapter as he tries to reach out to other people and is repeatedly rejected. This depression marks a starting point for Jack before his relationship with Olive brings some meaning back into his life.

My point here is— Children...
-- Jack Kennison and Olive Kitteridge (Labor)