How we cite our quotes: (Story.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
For some years during that bend in her life Mab thought she had discovered misery, but when she was older, she would look back wistfully on that time, because what came after made it seem sweet by comparison. (3.6.43)
Being kept in a cage and starved is harrowing for Mab, but in retrospect she finds that it was better than what was to come. Now that she's experienced having her body taken over by the Druj Queen, she remembers her early childhood as a (relatively) blissful time.
Quote #8
So when he stole Esmé away and Mab glimpsed the rough spires of Tajbel through his window of air, all the old agonies overwhelmed her and she screamed until she could scream no more, and then she collapsed onto the rug, rigid. She was seeing young limbs encircled by blue paint and hearing in her mind a song about ripening fruit. (3.8.28)
Poor Mab still hasn't gotten over the trauma of her time in Tajbel. When she glimpses the city again for the first time in fourteen years, she can't help but start screaming—it just brings back too many bad memories.
Quote #9
The sight of the cage thrust a spear of memory into Esmé's consciousness. It was only a glimpse, but for a split second she seemed to see long red hair spilling out through the bars, and small hands clutching at them from within. (3.9.23)
Sharing memories with the Druj Queen means that Esmé can remember parts of her mother's childhood and how she was kept in a cage. Maybe this will help her to understand Mab's nightmares and fears.