“The ticket my mother got was for driving 44 miles an hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. My father’s ticket was much worse—he was doing 93 on the turnpike. In the album Dad’s ticket looks sort of lumpy and wrinkled because he’d crumpled it into a ball when the state trooper handed it to him.”

Noah’s description of his parents’ first meeting is indicative of his father’s temperament. Paine is impulsive and prone to act hastily when his feelings are engaged. The way he crumples the ticket afterward also indicates his problem with authority figures. 

“Most of my friends aren’t crazy about their sisters, but Abbey’s all right. Maybe it’s not cool to say so, but the truth is the truth. She’s funny and tough and not nearly as irritating as most of the girls at school.”

Noah is describing his relationship with his younger sister. The rapport they share comes in handy at many points in the book. Abbey’s tough nature makes her an asset in Noah’s quest to bring down Dusty.

“Jasper Jr. sneered, which is another thing he’s good at. I found myself studying the shape of his head, which reminded me of an extra-large walnut […] Maybe everybody’s skull is knobby and weird underneath their hair, but on Jasper Jr. it made him look even meaner.”

Noah already knows that Jasper is the high school bully, but he chooses an interesting way to describe Jasper’s ugly nature. A head that has bumps like a walnut is an off-putting trait. According to phrenology, bumps on the head reveal character, which must mean that Jasper’s inner nature is no more pleasant than his outer features.