- Mason Carver: I have always considered myself an intelligent man, smart enough to circumvent any jewel that might reveal the true color of my blood. But this is not a fiction story. It is my last and final essay on the perils of romantic love.
- Sebastian Dickens: My step-mother's got this place shut up like a coffin. Come summer, I'm gonna have to sleep naked on top of the covers.
- Mason Carver: Where is Mr. Dickens, if you don't mind my asking?
- Mona Dickens: One of two places, depending on how his judgement day reckoned.
- Mason Carver: [composing a letter] "My dearest Victoria, this is a confession. I've grown attached to your sister's stepson Sebastian. He is a handsome youth and with proper guidance could be well-behaved - the son we never had."