It was useless, the man said, to deny that suffering of immense magnitude lay ahead, or that there’d be any escaping it.
-- The Ex (Part 1, Chapter 1)

Importance: This quote refers to the content of the ex’s lecture. The ex asserts that climate change has progressed past the point of reversibility, and that humanity should accept its inevitable doom. These views reflect ideas of death and pessimism, as well as more concrete ideas of ecology.

I had a moment’s panic because the bartender…ignored me…At last the bartender sauntered over (so I had not become see-through)...
-- Narrator (Part 1, Chapter 1)

Importance: The narrator beats some anxieties about being an aging, middle-aged woman in an often misogynistic society. In this scene, she worries that the bartender barely registers her as a person due to her age and gender. These anxieties reflect the psychological and social toll that patriarchy can have on aging women.

My heart is strong my...
-- The Friend (Part 1, Chapter 6)