The quote highlights the deep emotional pain tied to love and longing, suggesting that when you love something deeply, its absence intensifies that love. This sentiment indicates that the more you care for something or someone, the more profound the feeling of loss becomes when they are no longer present in your life. It encapsulates a universal experience of grief where love is intertwined with memories and the longing for what has been lost.

In Jonathan Safran Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," this theme resonates throughout the narrative as characters grapple with the complexities of their emotions. Love often surfaces alongside sorrow, illustrating that the act of missing something can overshadow the joy it once brought. This interplay between love and loss is central to understanding the human experience, reinforcing how significant attachments shape our feelings and life journeys.