Liz damages Nicole's cherished possessions because she does not treat them with respect. Rather than telling Nicole the truth and giving her the opportunity to repair or salvage the damaged tea set, Liz lies to Nicole and discards her heirlooms, incorrectly believing that a more expensive tea set is better. When Liz tries to give Nicole the new tea set Nicole didn't accept it. Liz then thought Nicole was being ungrateful. However for Nicole, the real value of the tea set was the history attached to it not its material worth. Not only did Liz not understand Nicole she didn't understand herself because she doesn't understand how rude and disrespectful she's really being. She thinks Nicole is being disrespectful but she's the disrespectful one by not telling Nicole the truth and ruining her possessions.
the travelers and the llamas are connected. "Knitting their cheeks" is figurative language implying that the people and llamas are analyzing the travelers' movement and displacement from the scene. Knitting refers to the close scrutiny of the travelers and the gaze weaving and intertwining their narratives.
