Fish was murdered by reality.
-- Narrator, describing Louisa's thoughts (chapter 1)

Importance: Louisa thinks this while standing before The One of the Sea, overwhelmed by memories of her friend. She reframes Fish’s overdose not as personal failure but as the consequence of a world that crushes vulnerable people; the line exposes her grief and her belief that society-at-large is culpable in her death. It also reinforces the novel’s running message that teenagers feel the world’s cruelty with a rawness adults can no longer access.

They don’t get any of that… because they aren’t in enough pain.
-- Narrator, describing Louisa's thoughts (chapter 3)

Importance: Louisa thinks this while running from the guards, thinking about what the painting really shows. This line reveals Louisa’s belief that true understanding of art—and of other people—comes from suffering, not privilege. It underscores the novel’s recurring contrast between teenagers who feel everything intensely and adults who have grown numb to beauty...