Quote 13
[Mr. Avenovich] could have been a small Inuit woman living in Anchorage, Alaska, who had adopted this appearance and voice to make her students more receptive to her lessons. (4.2)
Discrimination according to race, gender, and sexual orientation is still rampant in 2045, and might even be enabled by the OASIS, where many people feel obligated to portray themselves as white, heterosexual males in order to be accepted. Aech is one of these people.
Quote 14
[Art3mis] was even cooler in person than I'd imagined. (9.43)
This is how closely a person's OASIS identity is tied into their actual, human identity. Just getting an eyeful of Art3mis's polygons counts to Wade as "in person."
Quote 15
In the OASIS [...] I was a legend. Nay, a god. (19.52)
As we've said, the OASIS lets you become whoever you want. For example, a mild-mannered teenager from Oklahoma can become an egotistical maniac. Hey, whatever floats your boat.