His fresh-faced zeal would remind me of the person I once was, back when I first moved to the city, convinced that aspiration and success would crowd out the darkness of my past.
-- Narrator (Prologue)

Importance: It is later revealed that this passage is spoken from Lily's perspective. She is recounting the ambition that she had upon moving to the city from her small home town. She had aspirations of becoming a reporter for a major newspaper, and instead, she was turned down on numerous occasions for being a woman. She felt that achieving professional success would make up for starting her adult life as an unwed mother. She felt that if she could be successful despite starting off on the wrong foot, she could prove to herself and to others that the darkness of her past would not stunt her future.

Even when life's downright lousy, most kids are still so resilient...
-- Ellis (chapter 4)