Why do you flirt with everyone all the time?’ Celeste was the mom equivalent of a feather boa. Or human glitter. ‘It’s getting old, you know.
-- Penny (Penny)

Importance: Penny exposes her frustration with her mother’s habit of flirting with men and not paying attention to her daughter after they leave the Apple Store. Penny had hoped her mother would at least help her pick out a phone case, but instead, she had to pull her mother away from the man with whom she was talking. Penny’s comparison of her mother to a “feather boa” (6) and “human glitter” (6) suggests that Celeste is only decorative and has no real purpose.

When Mark first showed interest, Penny thought he was defective or else messing with her, and when he didn’t seem to be doing that, her suspicion only grew.
-- Narrator (Penny)

Importance: Penny’s distrust of Mark illustrates her low sense of self-worth. She...