How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I'm supposed to watch Natalie?"
"Mrs. Kelly says you can take her with you wherever you go, just like any other sister."
This stops me. I face my mom. "Mom, nobody takes his sister with him everywhere he goes."
My mom's shoulders hunch down and a little excitement drains out of her face. "Well, they could," she says.
I stare at her. Suspicious now. "What do you mean, wherever I go?" I ask, waving the tooth powder at her. (13.27-30)
Mrs. Flanagan asks a lot of her son, and while Moose is typically a no-complain, go-by-the-rules guy, he has a hard time accepting this one. He's in a new place, trying to make a new life for himself, and bringing Natalie everywhere is going to make him even more of an oddball. He's really going to have to dig into his sense of duty to accept this.
Quote #8
Theresa must have decided that if Rocky can't come, she's not going either. She's pretty possessive about him. It's almost as if she gave birth to that baby herself. (22.4)
Theresa's main quality is her responsibility. When her mom has a baby, she pretty much adopts the baby for herself. She feels really tied to this little baby brother—to the point where she won't go anywhere without him. This trait makes her really endearing as a character. Her heart's in the right place.
Quote #9
"Mrs. Kelly," I say when the operator signs off, "this is Moose Flanagan, Natalie's brother. I'm calling to thank you. You've really helped my sister."
"Why, dear. I appreciate you saying that."
"And I wanted to ask you. Do you believe the Esther P. Marinoff will help Natalie?" (37.7-9)
Moose really starts acting like an adult when he takes the responsibility of calling Natalie's therapist to ask how things are really going. He realizes that if he wants to know what's going on, he has to find out for himself—he's through with listening to things second-hand from his parents. This is kind of where Moose's sense of duty moves from having to do something to wanting to.