How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #1
In their last argument, Dane blamed Gigi for messing up his life, which he did every time they fought. Then he said that Opal should have been the one raising me. He said if I were with Opal, I would have turned out normal, and that Gigi wasn't fit to raise a child and never had been. (3.21)
Dane's accusation that Gigi was a bad mother not only reveals how bad things really were for him growing up, but doesn't exactly give Miracle the healthiest view of Gigi as her guardian. Maybe this is what Dr. DeAngelis means when he says that her family told her the truth about Sissy's "accident" through their actions—if things really were miraculous and hunky-dory, Dane and Gigi wouldn't be fighting about Miracle.
Quote #2
All I knew was that I didn't want to be there. Granddaddy Opal's name always came up in Gigi and Dane's fights, and so did mine, and they never sounded good together, my name and his—linked together when we didn't even know each other. Their angry words had always scared me, and I had the feeling now that Gigi planned to leave me there alone with him and go away. (3.33)
Granddaddy Opal and Gigi seem completely tone-deaf to the fact that Miracle isn't stupid and can hear every word they're saying, and as a result, they're making her feel unsafe and insecure in their house.
Quote #3
He grinned, and I noticed he had Dane's mouth—small, thin lips that hinted at shyness. He had his eyes, too—the shape and color were exactly the same—only Granddaddy Opal's eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and Dane's eyes looked flat, blank. I couldn't remember Dane ever really smiling. (4.28)
Getting to know Granddaddy Opal better reveals to Miracle just how unhappy Dane really was. Her father may have looked like his father, but Opal's joy and enthusiasm for working with his hands and riding his bike makes her see the absence of those feelings in her dad's life.