Family comes first. You bring a thief among us, Lucy girl, and you betray us. You're as good as a thief yourself.
-- Ba (chapter 2)

Importance: Ba admonished Lucy for feeding a stray dog, telling her that she was taking food out of the mouths of her family by doing so and that she should always put family first. This is a lesson that Lucy heard from both her parents, and it stuck with her over the years, as they hoped it would. This quote also foreshadows Lucy bringing the piece of gold to Teacher Leigh's house, resulting in her family being robbed. Lucy felt tremendous guilt because the miners had been made aware of the family's windfall by her recklessness. In this case, she had literally brought thieves to their house.

What makes a man a man? They tip the trunk. Is it a face to show the world? Hands and feet to...
-- Lucy (chapter 3)