Quote 1
For a long time, I was mad at you. The way you cut me out of everything hurt me, and so I kept what I knew to myself. But then even after I wasn't mad anymore, I still didn't say anything, and I don't even really know why. Pudge had that kiss, I guess. And I had this secret. (136after.4)
Like many characters in the novel, Takumi kept a secret from everyone, but he confesses to Miles (Pudge) at the end of the novel. In fact, Miles also confesses several secrets at the end of the novel as well. We have to wonder how much hurt was caused by secrets and deception and whether that pain could have been changed by the truth.
Quote 2
No one talked for a minute, and then Takumi asked, "Your dad blamed you?"
"Well, not after that first moment. But yeah. How could he not?" (2before.69-70)
It's not Alaska's mother's death that causes her suffering, but more the guilt and anguish she feels as a result of her role in her mother's death. It's important to note that Alaska's the one saying that her dad blames her, and that she is notoriously unreliable as a personality—which leaves us questioning how much of her suffering is self-inflicted.
Quote 3
"Two nights in a row is maybe pushing our luck," Takumi said as Alaska opened the wine.
"Luck is for suckers." She smiled and put the bottle to her lips. (2before.20-21)
Alaska is the instigator of many of the encounters with alcohol in the book. It seems like she rejects a fatalistic and optimistic view of the world that luck implies, and alcohol only serves to bring out her deep pain and pessimism about life. At other points in the novel, she reveals much more optimism… while sober.