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Self-doubt
Mariam's reflections onto what Nana told her- "I'm all you have in this world, Mariam, and when I'm gone you'll have nothing. You'll have nothing. You ARE nothing!"
Mariam thinks back on her mother's words while alone in Jalil's house after realizing that she is not cared about by jalil. She also expresses self-doubt after being beaten by Rasheed, wondering if she deserved it.

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Power
"I'm on to you both. I won't be made a fool in my own house."
No one man should have all that power. Rasheed is perceived as an insecure antagonist shown by the over-dominance, abuse, and bitterness toward Mariam, Laila, and Aziza throughout the novel.

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Betrayal
"The rope dropping from a high branch. Nana dangling at the end of it."
Nana left Mariam to fend for herself just because Nana could not stand the fact that Mariam was hopeful in her father.
Jalil betrays Mariam in not standing up to his wives when discussing the topic of marriage.

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Feminism
"The other night.. when he.. nobody's ever stood up for me before."
After Laila stands up to Rasheed for beating Mariam, they form an unconditional and understanding bond. They realize that they should be watching out for each other. Women are also looked down upon for dressing provocatively and acting independently in Kabul.

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"As much as I love this land, some days I think about leaving it."
Kabul makes Babi want to travel the world and forget it all because of the way Fariba treats him. Kabul makes him feel as though he is trapped. Kabul is also full of buff or manly men which makes Hakim feel aloof.

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"Mariam hardly left her room."
"-Mariam stayed in bed, feeling adrift and forlorn."
Rasheed's house brings depression upon Mariam. She is a recluse in a physically and emotionally empty house.

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"Rasheed, who took up the window and middle seat, put his thick hand on hers."
In the bus, Mariam feels trapped and threatened by Rasheed's natural superiority and intentions. She is ashamed of herself and nervous as to where the bus will lead her.

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"But where do I belong? What am I going to do now?"
Jalil's house makes Mariam feel as though she is the aloof pebble that represented her compared to all of her siblings. All of the exotic cars, wives, and servants made Mariam feel like such a harami that she begins to question her worth.

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"Aziza's high- spirited facade waned the closer they got to the orphanage."
The fact that Aziza choses a gum-ball machine as her last request shows her oblivious and trusting nature when it comes to Rasheed all the while he wanted to take her to the orphanage all along. Aziza is wholesome and benign.

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"Stop it bas! Rasheed you can't do this."
Laila stands up for Mariam in the way that Mariam has never had any kin of her own do for her. This shows that Laila is benevolent and self-sacrificing for things that she loves.

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"I want to put that thing in a box and let her float down the Kabul River."
To the reader, Rasheed is easy to hate more than Jalil is. This shows how inhumane and greedy Rasheed is because he is saying this just for the baby crying.

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"They laugh at you, they do. I hear them." "You know I love you Mariam Jo."
When nana tells Mariam of the things that Nana is trying to protect her from, she tells Mariam that she loves her right after just as an abusive husband does after beating their wife. This shows that Nana is manipulative and selfish when trying to trick Mariam into thinking that Nana is all she will ever have.

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"This shawl, Mariam saw, was a true gift."
The shawl symbolizes the sincerity that Mariam never received from Jalil. It symbolizes Rasheed's temporary but genuine devotion to Mariam.

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"She no longer worried that people knew, with a single glance, all of shameful secrets of her past."
The burqa symbolizes her emotional shield or wall that she has up when she is with Rasheed. He told her not to cry, so her emotions and anxiety about Rasheed and her past are suppressed behind the burqa.

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"Mariam wore a cream-colored dress that fell to her knees."
The cream-colored dress symbolizes the naivety and purity that Mariam still possesses at this time. When Jalil does not show to pick Mariam up for the movie, she goes to find Jalil and stains her dress just as the naive trust she had for Jalil is ruined.

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"They melt the coins people throw at them and make jewelry."
The necklace that Jalil brings to Mariam symbolizes the superficial and gilded relationship that Mariam and Jalil have.