When they shed their green and change their form, they take on a sacred duty — to stand at the border between the living and the dead. So they wait for the dying and watch over the carcasses and consume the flesh. And no one but the corbeaux know that inside their bodies the souls of the dead transform and release.
-- Catherine (“Corbeau:” Chapter 1)

Importance: Yejide’s grandmother, Granny Catherine, introduces her to the work of the St. Bernard women when Yejide is just a child by telling her this allegorical story. The corbeaux represent the St. Bernard women who watch over the dead and teach them how to rest peacefully.

And maybe this is what it mean to be a man. Doing the things you never think you would have to do, making a hard choice when the only thing in front you is hard choices.
-- Narrator (“Oathbreaker:” Chapter 2)

Importance: Darwin is forced to break his Rasta vows...