How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Bosquinha smiled. "My chauvinism meant that as soon as Lusitania Colony was mine, I became more loyal to the interests of Lusitania than to the interests of the Hundred Worlds or Starways Congress." (15.16)
Chauvinism here is not exactly a bad thing. It means loyalty to those near you; choosing a community of those who you are responsible for, and who are responisbe to you.
Quote #8
Dom Cristao murmured to his wife, "They came for gossip and he gives them responsibility." (15.116)
This is a quick synopsis of the good and bad of communities. On the one hand, community means being constantly judged and picked at by your neighbors if you don't mow the lawn. On the other hand, it means having someone around when you're sick (maybe they'll even mow the lawn for you). Other people—can't live with them, can't transmit them to distant planets by ansible. (At least, not at this point in the series.)
Quote #9
Most communities lurch between decay and rigor mortis, and when they veer too far, they die. Only one rabbi dared to expect of us such a perfect balance that we could preserve the law and still forgive the deviation. So, of course, we killed him. (16.11)
This is San Angelo talking about community and Jesus. He is arguing that Jesus commanded obedience to the law and forgiveness of transgression, which is a difficult balance. Speaker for the Dead is in a lot of ways less concerned with how people can be good than with how communities can be good. The novel suggests that you don't get good communities from good people, but good people from good communities.