How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Summer fifteen on Beechwood, Granny Tipper was gone. Clairmont felt empty. (11.4)
Cadence's grandmother may have been an uptight rich lady, but she was the one nurturing person in Cadence's life. Everyone else is too busy fighting over money.
Quote #2
Gran is dead. Having a picture of her won't change anything. (17.23)
This seems pretty cold, but once we know about the Liars' deaths, we understand why Cadence would want to get rid of reminders of dead people.
Quote #3
"Bonnie's obsessed with dead things. She's reading books about them all the time and then she can't sleep. It's annoying when you share a room." (24.26)
Here's another minor plot point that becomes extra-creepy when you know what happened: Bonnie's obsession with death is a way of dealing with the loss of her sister, Mirren.
Quote #4
"You could die. You could get hurt. If you are terrified, there's probably a good reason. You should trust your impulses." (28.47)
Trusting their impulses is what led to the Liars' deaths, so it's odd that Mirren('s ghost) would say this.
Quote #5
"If I die," I say as we look at the view, "I mean, when I die, throw my ashes in the water of the tiny beach. Then when you miss me, you can climb up here, look down, and think how awesome I was." (45.5)
Here we have the living telling the dead what to do with their ashes when they die. Cadence's memory is dead, and the Liars' memories are alive. Memory is all they have—or rather, all they are.
Quote #6
"You have no idea what it feels like to have headaches like this. No idea. It hurts […] It makes it hard to be alive, some days. A lot of times I wish I were dead, I truly do, just to make the pain stop." (49.37)
Mirren, Johnny, and Gat died horrible, painful deaths, but at least their pain was finite. Cadence has to live with hers forever.
Quote #7
He hits the water with force and the sea is filled with rocks here. There's no telling how deep or shallow it is. He could seriously die doing this. He could—but he pops up, shaking the water off his short yellow hair and whooping. (54.31)
If you were already dead and could do anything you wanted, what would you do? Jump off cliffs? Dive out of airplanes without a parachute? Hang out with poisonous snakes? (Wait, scratch that last one—it's not even fun to imagine.)
Quote #8
"Thatcher and I are sorting through my affairs. I'm considering leaving a good portion of my estate to my alma mater." (61.10)
Harris tries to come up with a way to stick it to his children from beyond the grave. He has to make sure they know about it first, though, so he can enjoy the spectator sport of watching them claw each other's eyes out.
Quote #9
I had killed those dogs. It was I who lived with dogs, I who knew where Prince Philip and Fatima slept. The rest of the Liars didn't think about the goldens—not very much, anyway. Not like I did. (75.76)
The Liars become a unit when they're together, and it's hard to tell their personalities apart. This is the one glimpse Cadence gives us of a separate inner life—prior to her accident, anyway. After the accident, she's not just separate, but alone.
Quote #10
I wanted so much for us: a life free of constriction and prejudice. A life free to love and be loved.
And here, I have killed them. (82.12-13)
Realizing the world will never conform to your ideals is one of the harshest realities of growing up. Coming to this realization because you accidentally murdered three people you adore takes it to a whole other level.