And you can’t assume that because they’re here, it means they don’t care. For all you know, a lot of them lost family and friends this spring. Sometimes people need stuff like this to feel alive again.
-- Hunt (Part I: The Chasm)

Importance: This quote shows both Hunt’s optimism at the beginning of the novel and establishes the damage done to the people of the city. After everything Hunt has been through - including events that the reader is not told outright in this book - he searches for something to be hopeful for. He understands people who want to forget about the pain they have experienced and is encouraging his love, Bryce, to do the same. However, this also implies that people are still struggling after the events of the spring, as many are choosing to bury their emotions in drinking and parties instead of facing the grim reality of what...