We're one mess of a family, aren't we, Jimmy?" Bob, sitting next to his brother, put his arm over Jim's shoulder.
-- Bob (Book 1, Chapter 1 paragraph 9)

Importance: Occurring early in the plot, this quote turns out to be quite an understatement as it foreshadows many revelations to come.

Be a chef, be a beggar, be divorced a zillion times, no one in this city cared. Smoke yourself to death out the window. Scare your wife and go to jail. It was heaven to live here. Susie never got that. Poor Susie.
-- Narrator (Book 1, Chapter 1 paragraph 3)

Importance: This quote describes the anonymity Bob enjoys in New York, allowing himself to escape from Shirley Falls where everyone knows about the accident that killed his father.

Jim has a keen sense of responsibility.
-- Helen (Book 1, Chapter 3 paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote turns out to be ironic after it is revealed that Jim has spent his entire life avoiding taking responsibility for his role in his father's death.

It united them...
-- Narrator (Book 1, Chapter 4 paragraph 3)