Joshua grabbed Christophe by the arm and pulled. He threw his other arm into the air, and leaned out into space. Christophe let go and leaped into Joshua, hugging him around his chest, and felt him burning and sweaty in his arms, squirming like a caught fish.
-- Narrator (. Prologue )

Importance: There are several points in this quote that are foreshadowing of the relationship between the two brothers. Joshua and Christophe are about to graduate high school, setting their adult lives into motion. Joshua will be the first to actually set out on the right path, jumping into a good job. Christophe will wind up clinging onto Joshua as he struggles to get his own life started.

She'd spent her entire life working for one rich white household or another to earn money to feed them, dressing them when they were younger in clothes her employers had given her to take to the Salvation...
-- Narrator (chapter 1)