This passage demonstrates, yet again, how much Allie has allowed her life to come to be ruled by logic, repression, and the pursuit of the comfort and safety that accompany material wealth. In doing what’s expected of her and trying to attain these things, Allie has abandoned her instincts, her natural talents, and her deepest passions. But Noah wants to stoke the part of Allie that still longs for these things—and Allie finds herself grateful for the permission Noah grants her to miss the parts of her life that were once so bright.