How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[This is for] the way loneliness is worse when you return to it after a reprieve—like the soul's version of putting on a wet bathing suit, clammy and miserable. (3.24)
This is some great loneliness imagery. Like a wet bathing suit, Karou's loneliness clings to her. She's an orphan, so we understand why she's especially sensitive about being alone.
Quote #2
Zuzana looked back and saw the expression that Karou sometimes got when she thought no one was watching. It was sadness, lostness, and the worst thing about it was the way it seemed like a default. (10.35)
What do you think your default expression looks like, and what does it say about you? Karou is so used to being alone, that when she forgets to put a front, she just looks like a sad puppy dog in a pet store.
Quote #3
Karou didn't want to need it. Yearning for love made her feel like a cat that was always twining around ankles, meowing Pet me, pet me, look at me, love me. (10.109)
Karou conjures up a pathetic image of herself here, mostly likely from the shame she feels at feeling lonely. She tries to make her loneliness into a strength, by being "cool and aloof" (10.111), but that attitude doesn't change how she feels.
Quote #4
[Karou] didn't want to be released into the wild. She wanted to be held dear. To belong to a place and a family, irrevocably. (13.2)
Karou's interpreting Brimstone's comment about "taking her freedom" pretty harshly. She's afraid she's going to lose him too, and even though he's a crocodile-headed demon, he's like a father to her.
Quote #5
Over the years [Akiva] had learned to deaden himself, and he had lived so long with the deadness that he believed pity and mercy were extinguished in him, but tonight he had experienced dull stabs of both. (18.9)
Like Karou, Akiva has lived in relative isolation his whole life. Although he doesn't yet realize it, he's starting to feel again because he was just close to Karou, who is his long-lost soulmate.
Quote #6
At the very least Issa would bring her coat and shoes. Surely. But the door didn't and didn't and still didn't open. (19.30-19.32)
We're surprised at Karou's resolve here. Despite the fact that she has just been completely cut off from the only family she's ever known, she doesn't have a nervous breakdown. Maybe she's in shock.
Quote #7
[Karou] was flying. God, she wished there was someone here to share it with. (22.42)
How awesome would it be to be able to fly? How much would it suck to not have anyone to share that with? Some people feel like there's not much to live for if they don't have someone to share their experiences with.
Quote #8
"I'll keep you warm. I'll braid your hair. You'll never be lonely again." (22.69)
Well, Razgut might be a creepy little troll of an angel, but he manages to get right to the heart of Karou's pain. And what does he do with his insight? Use it to his advantage. He wants to get out of Dodge, and he realizes Karou is his golden ticket.
Quote #9
With the infinite patience of one who has learned to live broken, he awaited her return. (23.8)
Akiva might as well be an orphan, like Karou. He didn't know his mother, never identified with his father, and his brother and sister aren't exactly supportive of him. The upside to living his life in relative isolation: this infinite patience for crappy situations.
Quote #10
"I'll wait for you as long as I can. That's the best I can do." (36.37)
Karou shows us the flip side of that "infinite patience" coin. She's patient too, but her isolation has given her a sense of independence and perseverance. So she is going to do whatever it takes to take care of herself first, before she deals with her relationship with Karou.