He didn’t want to tell her he would be leaving for a couple of hours, despite the conventions of the queue, which had developed over the passing days and were now practically set in stone.
-- Narrator (Part Two, Chapter 2: "The Way to Amani")

Importance: This passage exemplifies the narrator’s early presentation of Yehya’s character, in which he appears taciturn, lonesome, and even rude. Over time, the reader will come to understand that this air is a result of pain, but does point to other aspects of Yehya’s personality which he would retain even were he to heal: stubbornness and independence. The sentence is also one of the earliest mentions of the queue’s developing culture and customs, which shape Yehya’s life and opportunities over the course of the novel.

To pay for the cost of printing all the documents it needed, the Gate deducted a portion of everyone’s salary. This way it could...
-- Narrator (Part Two, Chapter 2: "The Way to Amani")