First, the special features of the alpine climate were decisive here.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The narrator uses an authoritative tone to describe the guesthouse and its medical mission. The line thus establishes the efficacy of the guesthouse environment and offers a key detail about the novel's primary backdrop. At the same time, the allusion to the region's special features implies that the alpine environment has atypical and mysterious qualities that might disrupt the characters' perceptions of reality.

He was bursting with exhilaration and good intentions, the kind of euphoria that heralds a fresh start, the moment when one cuts oneself off from the past and forgets about it.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Wojnicz's positive outlook at the start of the novel reveals his youth, innocence, and naivety. Wojnicz genuinely believes that coming to the guesthouse and abiding by his doctor's regime will heal him. He is thus hopeful and energized, emotional qualities which imply that Wojnicz has...