Quinn had never wanted children, had been an awkward, largely absent father; and now, In the wake of the boy’s death, he was left with neither the ice-smooth paralysis of shock, nor with the crystalline focus of grief, but rather with a heart-swelling package of murky and miserable ironies.
-- Narration (chapter 2)

Importance: This quotation not only establishes the kind of relationship that Quinn had with his son, but it also establishes Quinn’s relationship with the boy’s death. Quinn was an absent and inattentive father, and this has left him in a confusing position in the wake of the boy’s death. Quinn’s confusion, frustration, and regret may be factors in the motivation of his need to perform self-imposed penance in the form of continuing to pay child support even though the boy is deceased.

You get immortality!
-- The boy (chapter 3)

Importance: The boy says this to Ona while he is listing the benefits...