The heat a hand clamped upon the mouth, the sun a pistol against one’s head.
-- Narrator (Day 1)

Importance: This quote establishes the city as a place where climate and violence feel fused, turning ordinary weather into a daily assault. It also introduces Ma’s fearful, watchful mindset, since she reads the street outside her window as a threat even before the thief ever appears.

It had happened before. 1770, when crops failed and smallpox plagued the enfeebled.
-- Narrator (Day 1)

Importance: Here the narrator connects present shortages to earlier famines, reminding readers that today’s crisis grows out of a long history of neglect and exploitation. The brief, factual tone suggests that disaster has become a recurring feature of life rather than an exceptional event.

The passports with climate visas inside, treasure beyond her greatest hope.
-- Narrator (Day 1)

Importance: This line shows how Ma has come to treat paperwork as more precious than money or jewelry, because it seems to...