Quote 40
That same night, Ali had a big party at his house. I never drank so much in my life. (35.85)
Alcohol is both a form of defiance and a way to cope. Marjane drinks because the government doesn't want her to drink, so her raised wine bottle is like a big ol' middle finger to the government. She also drinks because a friend just died, though, which is something she wants to forget, if just for a little while.
Quote 41
I had started taking more and more [drugs]. At first, Markus was very impressed, then, he started to lecture me, and finally, he distanced himself. (27.4-27.26)
Ah, this perfectly illustrates what we talked about above, with drugs connecting people at first, but ultimately driving them apart. With Marjane high all the time, Markus has no way to relate to her, so he pulls away from her… and eventually finds someone else.
Quote 42
This is how, for love, I began my career as a drug dealer. (26.105)
Marjane goes to extremes to fit in because, as an Iranian woman living in Vienna, she is an extreme outsider. Because of this, she makes fun of people to fit in, changes her appearance, and yes, deals drugs. Drugs seem to connect a lot of outsiders, at least on the surface. How connected can you be if you're high all the time though?