Rau's horse-breeding expertise was entirely self-taught, his theories a hodgepodge of seat-of-the-pants observation, established traditions, and pseudo-science.
-- Narrator (chapter 2 paragraph 8)

Importance: This quote is significant because it shows that there is no scientific backing to Rau's theories of breeding and eugenics. It is important to establish this fact early on in the book because it discredits Nazi ideology entirely. This quote establishes Rau as a character who cannot be trusted and who buys into racially biased theories which align with Nazi values. It also demonstrates that Rau is more concerned with his own opinions and traditional values than with scientific evidence.

In the United States and Britan, the vogue for applying principles of selective horse breeding to human society would never fully take hold [...] But in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, these ideas would take hold and thrive, with disastrous results for both people and horses.
-- Narrator (chapter 2 paragraph 27)

Importance: This quote shows that pseudo-scientific theories and eugenics were...