How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Mary was born in the castle, and her parents are still here. I was an orphan, taken in because the palace needed staff [...] Lucy was sold to the palace." (13.159)
As we spend time in the palace, we gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the Illéan caste system. Most notably—and horribly—we learn that the country has a system of indentured servitude that's functionally indistinguishable from slavery. That's some nasty stuff.
Quote #5
"Lucy's family needed money for an operation for her mother. [...] Her mother never got better, they never made it out of debt." (13.161)
Lucy and her father were forced into lifelong slavery because...they couldn't pay a medical bill. Can you think of anything more messed up? Still, similar things happen every day in the real world, so this scenario might not be as far-fetched as you think.
Quote #6
"And we needed that money so badly at the time, the whole family was elated. But Kota kept almost all the money for himself." (15.83)
America's older brother Kota hit it big as an artist, but instead of using his newfound fame and fortune to help his family, he decided to hoard it all for himself. It's easy to judge him for this, but from another perspective, this is simply the end result of such an imbalanced caste system.