Hello. You did not present the story to which this question refers, which makes it impossible for it to be answered. However, I will try to help you in the best possible way.
The meaning of a story refers to the theme that the story is addressing and how that theme, worked on in the story, conveys a lesson to the public, conveys a valuable teaching about something.
When a text presents quotations from other works, they must be in line with this teaching that the text wishes to pass on, giving greater depth on this subject. In this case, to answer your question, you must identify what is the teaching that the author of the story is trying to promote and how that teaching is intensified by the quotes presented.
Answer: And is the correct conjunction
yess it still count as a sentence.
