Never underestimate the passion of a lonely mind.
-- Helen Watt (chapter 9)

Importance: The professor’s words are in reference to Ester having risked persecution to record Spinoza’s forbidden words. Helen infers that Ester made this dangerous choice because she was an intellectual forced into isolation, much like Spinoza in his exile. The intensity with which she voices her words reflects her feeling of personal connection to Ester, as Helen herself lives a life of solitude. This quote reinforces Ester’s early narratives, after which readers follow her attempts to satisfy her loneliness. Helen’s words are an outsiders’ perspective on Ester’s life; they establish anticipation for her pursuit of learning, in which readers will see how far Ester’s passion takes her.

They’ve traded faith – for – gold.
-- Rivka (chapter 10)

Importance: Rivka’s words to Ester convey the theme of death, choice, and martyrdom, reflecting her condemnation of people who fled from the Inquisition. She...