Quote 1
"It doesn't matter, and there's plenty of room for you. High school's getting to be a luxury in times like these. So many boys have dropped out entirely, I don't know where I'll find five to play basketball, come winter, or to field the Christmas program." (1.43)
Clearly, Mary Alice's family isn't the only one that's hurting financially. When she registers for school, the principal mentions that high school has become a luxury. A luxury! Is that the way you view high school education?
Quote 2
"Grandma, was I too much trouble?"
That went too far. But I was her granddaughter, and she'd taught me everything I knew, and I liked to win…
"What would your paw think if I kept you?" she said finally. "I don't want your maw after me." (7.100-103)
Mary Alice is her grandmother's granddaughter, and she's not about to give up so easily. She guilts her grandmother into telling the truth (more or less)—that she doesn't want Mary Alice to leave, but that she knows it's better for her to go home to Chicago.