"As they fought, Galbatorix kicked Vrael in the fork of his legs. With that underhanded blow, he gained dominance over Vrael and removed his head with a blazing sword."
Here, we have Brom tell the story of evil king Galbatorix’s battle with one of the great dragon riders of old, and his subsequent rise to power. This quote illustrates Galbatorix’s underhanded and evil nature, while impressing upon the reader the idea that good does not always triumph because it is good. Oftentimes, those who use underhanded tricks and guile are willing to stoop to levels that good is not, and thus has an advantage. To assume that evil will play by good’s rules is folly.
“The realization that Garrow and Marian were not his real parents had disturbed him greatly. […] One other thing bothered him: Who was his father?”
Eragon’s parents died long before he had the capacity to remember them, and he struggles with his identity for much of the Inheritance Trilogy’s run. To know one’s father is to know an aspect of the self, a spiritual inheritance of sorts, and knowing next to nothing makes him feel as if he’s missing a crucial piece to the puzzle of himself. True, he finds a sort of father figure in his mentor, Brom, but the question of his true parentage haunts Eragon from beginning to conclusion.
“Tomorrow you will ride me […] or else I will carry you in my claws. Are you a Dragon Rider or not? Don't you care for me?”
Here we see the strong bond between Eragon, the dragon rider, and Sephira, his bonded dragon. When Eragon is reluctant to ride her after their disastrous first flight from Carvahall, Sephira feels neglected and disconnected from her rider, eventually confronting him to demand his attention. This desire for connection reinforces the bond between rider and dragon, and marks a real milestone for the inseparable team that Eragon and Sephira must become if they are to escape Galbatorix’s minions and save the world.
