In the passage from Cormac McCarthy's "Cities of the Plain," a woman leads a group of children back into the street, signifying a collective movement towards specific destinations. This imagery evokes a sense of purpose and destiny in their journey, as if their paths were predetermined from the very start of time.

The notion of fate being woven into the fabric of their lives suggests deeper themes of choice and inevitability. As they proceed, the phrase hints at a belief that their actions and places in the world have been set long ago, intertwining their individual journeys with a larger narrative of existence.