How we cite our quotes: (Preface if applicable, Paragraph)
Quote #1
I am not only a middleclass man, living a regular life, fond of work and punctuality; I am also an abstainer and nonsmoker, and these bottles in Haller's room pleased me even less than the rest of his artistic disorder. (Preface 23)
Here we see how the narrator of the preface is Harry's exact opposite. Where the narrator won't drink a drop or smoke a puff, Harry is extreme in his habits.
Quote #2
When, later on, I accompanied him sometimes to his haunts I often saw with my own eyes how he drank when the mood was on him, though neither I nor anyone else ever saw him really drunk. (Preface 24)
He might drink like a fish, but he can hold his liquor—Harry's got a tolerance that shows that his drinking habit is pretty serious. The fact that the narrator of the preface is the first one to tell us about Harry's drinking predisposes us to thinking of Harry in a certain way, probably as weak because of his addiction. How does your understanding of Harry's alcoholism change when you hear it from him instead of the narrator of the preface?
Quote #3
"I have practiced abstinence myself for years, and had my time of fasting, too, but now I find myself once more beneath the sign of Aquarius, a dark and humid constellation." (Preface 38)
This quote of Harry's shows us how he believes that the universe is acting on him, rather than being independent, like he always claims he is. That seems to be contradictory, and actually what he finds in the Magic Theater has more to do with letting go of control, like he's doing here, than trying to nail it down.