How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Leaning forward to read the "Prohibited Materials" sign a little more closely, she saw that cell phones, pagers, and all two-way radio devices were strictly forbidden. […] Now she understood this morning's strange demeanor. Her parents were already mourning the loss of contact with their only daughter. (1.19/26)
This is a major step for Luce: it cuts her off from her family and her best friend at Dover. In this moment, she's realizing, for possibly the first time, what it really means to be at Sword & Cross, and exactly what kind of school year she's in for.
Quote #2
The ponytail fell to her feet and Arriane gasped and whipped around. She picked it up and held it to the sun. Luce's heart constricted at the sight. She still agonized over her own lost hair, and all the other losses it symbolized. But Arriane just let a think smile spread across her lips. She ran her fingers through the ponytail once, then dropped it into her bag. (1.102)
The loss of Luce's own hair symbolized a great deal of things: the loss of her beauty and youth, the loss of her status as someone liked by her classmates, and the loss of her own sense of confidence (she prided herself on her beautiful hair). Seeing Arriane take so well to a haircut that Luce finds a punishment is just another way she and Arriane are so different—and it looks like it adds to Luce's fears that she won't fit in here.
Quote #3
"Dad died two years ago," Penn said quietly. "They got as far as sticking me with the decaying old Headmaster Udell as my legal guardian, but, uh, hey never really got around to hiring a replacement for Dad."
"I'm sorry," Luce said, lowering her voice, too. So someone else here knew what it was like to go through a major loss. (2.133)
Even though not all the students have suffered the same way that Luce has, they have definitely suffered. Penn is a great example, because her loss is a personal one, not something that she was in control of, like Luce. This further proves that Penn is a fantastic person to know, and that Luce is lucky to have her in her life—and not only because she brought Luce shampoo in her meatloaf-y time of need.