How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Oksana depended upon her son as much as he depended upon her. They were partners and Pavel had sworn aloud that he'd [...] make sure his family stayed alive. (1.1.8)
With his father missing and presumed dead, Pavel is forced to become the man of the house at a young age. That's a lot of pressure to put on little kid. Oksana should be proud that she raised a son as tough as Pavel, a son willing to sacrifice anything to keep his family together.
Quote #2
If he caught this cat then Pavel would love him, play cards with him, and never get cross again. The prospect pleased him and his mood changed from dread to anticipation. (1.1.50)
Andrei is only concerned with earning Pavel's love. You can't blame him for that, though—he's too young to realize how dire things have become for the family. In fact, with their dad gone, Andrei looks up to his brother as the man of the household. It's actually kind of adorable, putting aside the fact that this brotherly bond leads to a serial-killing rampage.
Quote #3
At any moment they expected their father to make them breakfast or their mother to return from the fields. Nothing felt real. (2.6.122)
Zoya and Elena's world is shattered when their parents are killed—it's as if they're stuck in a nightmare they can't wake up from. Sadly, many characters in the novel lose parents at a young age, and in each instance the wounds never fully heal.
Quote #4
Vasili would break him from afar, systematically applying pressure where he was vulnerable—his family. (3.18.2)
Leo's love for his family is a strength, but it can also be his greatest weakness if nasty people try to manipulate it. The dude has gone through some serious hardships in his life, but no matter how bad things got, he could always rely on his family. As we'll learn, Vasili couldn't be more different.
Quote #5
That still hurt him, more than his loss of status, more than his loss of faith in the State. He'd blindly believed in love. (4.36.4)
This is a powerful statement. Leo went from being a respected–-and feared—member of the upper class to a lowly nothing. He's also gone from being a die-hard patriot to a man unsure if he believes in anything. Still, nothing hits him harder than the idea that his wife doesn't love him the same way her loves her.
Quote #6
"You've often behaved as if our love was dependent on the things you could do for us. Even as a child. That is not true." (4.37.44)
That certainly explains a lot. Throughout the novel, Leo constantly puts himself in harm's way for his parents, even when it seems like the most foolish thing he could possibly do. The revelation regarding Leo's "origin story" adds to this understanding as well.
Quote #7
They were criminals, the two of them, them against the world. It was time to consummate this new relationship. (4.40.8)
Untimely deaths aside, Leo and Raisa are like a Russian Bonnie and Clyde. As it happens, that's the best thing that could have happened to their relationship: it forces them to actually work as a team for the first time.
Quote #8
Families were broken up in the Gulags, sent to opposite sides of the country [...] The only relationship which matter was a person's relationship with the state. (4.45.6)
It's pretty messed up, but it works. If you can break down the social bonds between people, it's a lot easier to fill them up with state-sponsored propaganda. Good thing this didn't actually work on Leo and Raisa.
Quote #9
He'd followed the rules accordingly, marrying a woman who'd dutifully given birth to two children—the minimum acceptable if no questions were to be asked (4.49.1)
This embodies the difference between Leo and Vasili. Leo loves his family more than anything—they're his reason for living. For Vasili, on the other hand, a family is just a means to an end—yet another way to prove himself to the State. The dude even ratted his brother out for trash-talking Stalin once while he was tipsy.
Quote #10
Leo recalled teaching his little brother how to make a string snare [...] Had those lessons become the template for some kind of psychotic frenzy? (4.57.5)
Sorry, buddy, but the answer is a resounding yes. In the end, Andrei's grotesque murders are just a way to reconnect with his long-lost brother—it'd be cute if not for all of the, you know, murder. Should've just used Facebook, bro. In the end, Andrei symbolizes the trauma inflicted on a society in which anyone can be killed off at any time. If life is made cheap, then, you know, people start to behave as if life really is cheap.