She stares awkwardly down at the kitchen counter. Then, quietly, she tells me about four other children I never knew existed.
-- Sonia Nazario (Prologue paragraph 5)

Importance: Nazario's maid, Carmen, is telling her about the children she left behind when she traveled to the United States in order to make enough money to support them. The mothers don't talk much about the children they leave behind -- the pain and shame of it is too much. When Carmen's son travels to the United States, their story inspires Nazario to write Enrique's Journey.

The train crawls out of the Tapachula station. From here on, he thinks, nothing bad can happen.
-- Author (Chapter 1 paragraph 204)

Importance: Enrique is setting out on his quest to join his mother in the United States. What propels him forward is a love for her and a deep desire to be with her again. He's naive about the dangers he's about to face on his way to find...