How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I told you. We just met by the river one day: that's all. Independents, both of us. We never made each other any promises. We never – " she said, and her voiced collapsed […] (18.14).
After Holly turns her cat loose, she tries to convince herself that she's happy being alone, but we see that this really isn't the case.
Quote #8
"Dead. Or in a crazy house. Or married. I think she's married and quieted down and maybe right in this very city" (1.31).
This is the narrator's answer to Joe's question about Holly's whereabouts, and it's pretty significant that his first instinct is to think that she's dead or locked away somewhere. It seems she's been rather successful in convincing the world that she is meant to spend her life alone.
Quote #9
Only: what other friends of hers did I know? Perhaps she'd been right when she said she had none, not really (15.7).
The narrator thinks this after Holly's arrest when he can't get a hold of anyone to help her. He realizes that her isolation is so complete that only he and Joe are concerned about her well-being. This is one negative consequence of her isolation.