“What happens in a certain place can stain your feelings for that location, just as ink can stain a white sheet. You can wash it, and wash it, and still never forget what has transpired - a word which here means 'happened, and made everybody sad'.”

“A mental stain can neither be blotted out by the passage of time nor washed away by any waters.”

“But can you ever excise a bad parent? Though you might come to terms with all that they have psychologically bequeathed you, they can never really be expunged. They're the stubborn, permanent stain that will never entirely vanish in the wash.”

“The only thing a cat worries about is what's happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time.”

“Life is so uncertain: you never know what could happen. One way to deal with that is to keep your pajamas washed.”

“Even without them touching me, I feel dirty about what I do. Alex does even filthier things but says it all washes off with soap. I don’t believe that. I think it all leaves stains. Indelible stains.”