The quote from Joyce Carol Oates' book "Expensive People" suggests that literature and art, as well as civilization, are not inevitable or intrinsic but rather contingent phenomena. Oates implies that these aspects of human life arise due to specific historical contexts and circumstances, making them transient rather than permanent features of existence.

This perspective encourages us to consider the role of chance and accident in shaping culture and creativity. It illustrates how the artistic expressions and societal structures we value today might have evolved differently if circumstances had shifted, highlighting the fragility and variability of human achievement.