How we cite our quotes: (Preface if applicable, Paragraph)
Quote #1
I am not only a middleclass man, living a regular life, fond of work and punctuality; I am also an abstainer and nonsmoker, and these bottles in Haller's room pleased me even less than the rest of his artistic disorder. (Preface 23)
Here we see how the narrator of the preface is Harry's exact opposite. Where the narrator won't drink a drop or smoke a puff, Harry is extreme in his habits.
Quote #2
When, later on, I accompanied him sometimes to his haunts I often saw with my own eyes how he drank when the mood was on him, though neither I nor anyone else ever saw him really drunk. (Preface 24)
He might drink like a fish, but he can hold his liquor—Harry's got a tolerance that shows that his drinking habit is pretty serious. The fact that the narrator of the preface is the first one to tell us about Harry's drinking predisposes us to thinking of Harry in a certain way, probably as weak because of his addiction. How does your understanding of Harry's alcoholism change when you hear it from him instead of the narrator of the preface?
Quote #3
"I have practiced abstinence myself for years, and had my time of fasting, too, but now I find myself once more beneath the sign of Aquarius, a dark and humid constellation." (Preface 38)
This quote of Harry's shows us how he believes that the universe is acting on him, rather than being independent, like he always claims he is. That seems to be contradictory, and actually what he finds in the Magic Theater has more to do with letting go of control, like he's doing here, than trying to nail it down.
Quote #4
And this too was odd: that somewhere in a green valley vines were tended by good, strong fellows and the wine pressed so that here and there in the world, far away, a few disappointed, quietly drinking townsfolk and dispirited Steppenwolves could sip a little heart and courage from their glasses. (14)
Observing all the other people drowning their sorrows, Harry lets us know that he doesn't have a monopoly on being the Steppenwolf: there are lots of divided souls in the world.
Quote #5
Once when despair had again got the better of me I had swallowed a big dose of [laudanum]—enough to kill six men, and yet it had not killed me. (75)
Remember that high tolerance we were talking about with the drinking? Well, apparently he can take deadly doses of drugs, too, and survive. Harry was just not meant to die, it would seem.
Quote #6
Once there, I poured myself out some brandy and water, swallowed some of my gout pills with it, and, lying on the sofa, tried to read. (86)
This event happens right before Harry meets Hermine; it shows how he relates drugs to sickness before he gets in with the crazy crowd.
Quote #7
I scanned the timetables on the walls; drank some wine and tried to come to my senses. (97)
Hmm… usually drinking wine helps you lose your senses, but if you need it to think clearly that probably means you have a problem.
Quote #8
Hermine told me that Pablo had many such drugs, and that he procured them through secret channels. He offered them to his friends now and then and was a master in the mixing and prescribing of them. He had drugs for stilling pain, for inducing sleep, for begetting beautiful dreams, lively spirits and the passion of love. (345)
Now we get to the good stuff. Before, drugs were used for suicide and pain; now they have a purpose of being inspirational. Also, Harry usually drinks and takes drugs alone when he's depressed. With Pablo, it becomes a social activity that opens everyone's minds.
Quote #9
As I felt a little unwell after this, Pablo laid me on the bed and gave me some drops, and while I lay with closed eyes I felt the fleeting breath of a kiss on each eyelid. (387)
And drugs can also be an excuse… Harry can accept the kisses from his friend while he's on the magic drops, when just a few minutes before he had rejected Pablo's proposal.
Quote #10
Thus we sat peacefully exhaling small puffs and taking little sips at our glasses, while every moment we felt ourselves growing lighter and more serene. (490)
The entrance to the Magic Theater requires that the participants smoke some special cigarettes, which helps us to understand that it is really something that happens in Harry's mind rather than in reality.