How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"What really happened to your eye?" Wahoo asked.
"I told you. I fell down."
Mickey said, "That's bull. Somebody slugged her."
[…]
Mickey bent down and whispered, "Was it your old man?"
Tuna pulled away. "So what if it was?"
"Has he been drinkin' tonight?"
Her eyes welled up. "Every damn night," She said quietly. (9.30-38)
In this scene, Tuna is running away. We come in contact with some of the effects of alcoholism in a family, and even though we don't hear much about their situation, we can imagine what life must be like for Tuna. What should Mickey do?
Quote #2
Tuna puffed her cheeks in sympathy. "I know all about banks. That's how we ended up living at the Walmart. But here's the difference, Lance: nobody's drinking up your mortgage money the way my old man did. At least your dad's out there trying." (11.79)
Getting a bit of back-story, we learn that Jared Gordon's alcoholism is part of the reason they are in severe poverty, because instead of paying the bills, he's spent their money on getting drunk.
Quote #3
"Before the bank took our house, I'd just go in my room, lock the door and start Googling like a fiend. Some nights I worked on insects. Other nights it might be fish or amphibians, whatever. I'd sit there and say their scientific names over and over again until they stuck in my head."
"Too much like homework. I couldn't do it," Wahoo said.
"Sure you could—if your old man was trashed out of his skull and acting like a maniac. Then you'd find a place of your own to hide," she said, "and something to keep your mind off all the craziness." (14.27-29)
Hearing about Tuna's life with a little more detail is really hard for Wahoo—it makes his stomach hurt and he leaves the tent to walk around and think. It seems like alcoholism has torn Tuna's family apart. On the other hand, Tuna has coped with it by making herself smarter and studying a ton.