"Oh, what a to-do! If only you two had known and spoken to him at once. He'd have arranged everything- probably given you an army to go with you in search of the Prince."
Jill kept quiet at this and hoped Scrubb would be sporting enough not to tell all the owls why this hadn't happened. He was, or very nearly. That is, he only muttered under his breath,"Well, it wasn't MY fault..."
This quote is important for a number of reasons; firstly, it highlights how the children managed to make a mess of the first of Aslan's commands, which was having Eustace speak to the person whom he recognized before speaking to anyone else. He could not do this because he fell to land before Jill could let him know this. Secondly it shows that although Eustace is completely different from his former petulant self, he still has a tendency to bear a grudge and wants it know that the failure is Jill's fault, which actually puts a great deal of pressure on Jill to make up for this as their adventure progresses. Lastly it shows the importance the Owls have in the ruling of Narnia and the children do not want them to find out that they missed the opportunity to speak to the King because of a silly quarrel.
"The bright side of it is," said Puddleglum, "that if we break our necks getting down the cliff, then we're safe from being drowned in the river."
This comment sums Puddleglum up to a tee; even his optimism is distinctly pessimistic. Their journey across the wastelands of the north is treacherous and filled with danger at every turn but he has decided to try to keep everyone's spirits up with a cheerful attitude. Unfortunately Puddleglum was not really blessed with a naturally optimistic attitude and sees the worst case scenario in every situation although in this case he is using the possibility of something terrible befalling them to look on the brighter side.
"Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours really is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live like a Narnian even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland."
This quote illustrates the way in which the author is allegorising faith as the Evil Queen, the evil character, is trying to persuade Puddleglum and the children that Narnia is all in their imagination and does not really exist; this is much like an atheist trying to tell a Christian that their idea of Heaven is also imaginary. Puddleglum is explaining that having faith in something that makes his life more positive and gives him a purpose is better than only accepting what he can see or experience right at that moment. This is in a way an argument in favor of faith. In the context of the adventure it is also the moment at which Puddleglum becomes the hero and stands up to the Queen in an attempt to escape her clutches and return the prince to Narnia.
