“Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of childhood innocence, no matter how many layers of life wrap around it. Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.”

Curie’s writing often evokes the Christian concept of original sin. Children are innocent but are also born into a system that their parents and ancestors created and shaped. As Faraday will later state, guilt is not useful because it is more likely to lead to shame than to action. This is not the only time that Curie writes of childhood with nostalgia.

“Hope in the shadow of fear is the world’s most powerful motivator.”

Citra is annoyed that Scythe Faraday is sharing their dinner and that her parents have no choice but to obey him. However, she understands that their intentions are to keep her and her brother safe. The fear of death has the power to motivate, and it can be the only thing that motivates some people. This passage begins to establish The Value of Mortality by suggesting how death motivates people.

“The growth of civilization was complete. Everyone knew it. When it came to the human race, there was no more left to learn.”

Much of Curie’s writing details the stagnation and dullness of life, as she believes having access to all knowledge has robbed human existence of many of its surprises. She sees that in a world where there are no more factual discoveries to be made, intellectual curiosity has diminished. Immortality further discourages engagement and innovation by removing the pressures of time.