Life isn't fair Natsworthy.
-- Chudleigh Pomeroy (Chapter 1: The Hunting Ground)

Importance: This statement sets up the tone of the novel and lets readers know that this will not be a novel about fairness. It foreshadows hard times ahead for many of the characters and it does not promise a happy ending for anyone.

Never forget, Apprentices, that we Historians are the most important Guild in our city. We don't make as much money as the Merchants, but we create knowledge, which is worth a great deal more. We may not be responsible for steering London, like the Navigators, but where would the Navigators be if we hadn't preserved the ancient maps and charts? And as for the Guild of Engineers, just remember that every machine they have ever developed is based on some fragment of old-tech-ancient high technology that out museum keepers have preserved or our archaeologists have dug up."
-- Thaddeus Valentine (Chapter 2: Valentine)

Importance: This quote makes the point that while...