The road is laid on by the land’s dictation. A horse path once and again, it isn’t smoothed or straightened, routered through the hills.
-- Narration (chapter 1)

Importance: These lines of narration appear at the very beginning of the novel. They have several functions, including introducing the reader to some of the terrain of the story's setting. Due to the Arrest, Tinderwick has fully embraced an agrarian society and manual modes of transportation. The road may also function as a metaphor for adaptability, as the Tidnerwick residents have adapted to the conditions of the Arrest.

They excelled in near misses that may not have been near at all...
-- Narration (chapter 7)

Importance: This line of narration refers to Todbaum and Sandy's early attempts to enter the film industry in Los Angeles. Although they had moments in which success seemed near, they never had any tangible results, and thus their careers were effectively failures in those years...