It was the end of the continental breakfast, and therefore the beginning of the end of everything else.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: When the Biedermeier hotel can no longer afford to serve breakfast, life changes for all of the residents. The end of the breakfast is thus the novel's inciting event. Because the Biedermeier girls once relied on the breakfast service, their circumstances change when they have to either skip this meal or pay for it out of pocket. The line thus establishes narrative tension, and contributes to the novel's subtextual explorations concerning gender politics and economic disadvantage.

You are free Thursday after next, aren't you?
-- Kitty (chapter 2)

Importance: Kitty's request for Katherine's help foreshadows Katherine's conflict at the courthouse. Katherine feels powerless to refuse Kitty's request, because she is an empathetic character who takes her position at the Biedermeier seriously. Kitty's imploring tone reveals that she is a more reliant character, who requires help to survive...