How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Page)
Quote #7
I was ashamed of her, ashamed of the human race. (20.8)
Sandy kisses the rescued pigs as if they were princesses. Twain isn't making a joke here—nope, he just makes a sad statement about our species in general.
Quote #8
I drilled him as representing in turn all sorts of people out of luck and suffering dire privations and misfortunes. But lord, it was only just words, words—they meant nothing in the world to him. (28.4)
The king can't understand hardships described to him: he has to experience them himself in order for them to sink in. (You might want to work on that lack of imagination, your majesty…) Twain may be quietly applying the king's tendency to a wider target… mainly everyone who gets set in their ways, no matter how silly those ways may be.
Quote #9
What those people valued was high wages; it didn't seem to be a matter of any consequence to them whether the high wages would buy anything or not. (33.7)
There seems to be a contrast here between Hank's ability to contemplate sophisticated ideas like inflation and the Arthurian subjects who only view things on the surface. Hank wants to change all that, but it takes years. (Lucky there's not a lot to do in the Middle Ages.)