Women still made Adah nervous. They had a way of sapping her self-confidence. She did have one or two women friends with whom she discussed the weather, and fashion. But when in real trouble, she would rather look for a man. Men were so solid, so safe.
-- Adah (chapter 1)

Importance: All her life Adah prefers the company of men to that of women, and it is noted that this is primarily because she preferred her father to her mother, as he was more permissive and supportive. However, Adah likely also feels this way because she was raised in a society in which men were viewed as superior and women inferior, and she absorbed this belief even though she was a woman herself.

That she would go to the United Kingdom one day was a dream she kept to herself, but dreams soon assumed substance. It lived with her, just like a Presence.
-- Adah (chapter 1)

Importance: Once...