Just as the amputees from the First World War had learned to live with artificial limbs and even become used to them, Allene made do with an artificial family. There was no space in her philosophy of life for wasting time contemplating lost loves or becoming a captive of her own past.
A really apt analogy! The thought of it being a waste of time to stew over the past, of being captive of the past - this is powerful.
