And though they acknowledged that there was a world beyond Sawkill—beyond the insulated bubble of their money and their easy lives and their veneered smiles—they were content to watch that world pass them by, tragedies and injustices and all. Ugliness couldn’t touch them, so why pay it any mind?
-- Narrator as Zoey ("Zoey: The Underbelly")

Importance: This quote calls attention to the way socioeconomics plays a role in worldview. It also highlights the socioeconomic divide that breeds conflict between middle-class Zoey and wealthy Val. When Marion arrives on Sawkill, Zoey believes that a middle-class friend will understand her better than her wealthy peers. Wealth also affords Val authority and privilege through means and status that less wealthy teenagers cannot achieve. In this way, wealth creates an "insulated bubble" that protects people from the "ugliness" of "tragedy and injustices." By living "easy lives," the people of Sawkill do not feel compelled to confront the tragedy...