How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
This was what was meant by a holy life, this was what the way of the cross demanded. (1.1.22)
"This" refers to the idea of getting married, having children, and raising a family in church, rather than running around wild having sex willy-nilly and never going to church. The "way of the cross" refers to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who was executed on a cross; the sacrifice of a holy life is like his sacrifice.
Quote #5
"I know," she said, "there ain't no safety except you walk humble before the Lord. You going to find it out, too, one day. You go on, hardhead. You going to come to grief." (1.1.73)
Elizabeth finds that a religious life equals a safe life. And with her kids growing up in New York City, she is highly concerned with safety. Right after her warning, Roy comes home stabbed in the forehead with a knife. For her, as a mother, religion is a tool for keeping her children safe in a dangerous world.
Quote #6
And the other [motto], in letters of fire against a background of gold, stated:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John iii, 16 (1.1.91)
When John cleans the living room he has to dust the decorations on the mantel. One of them is the famous verse John 3:16. The material presence of the motto is a physical reminder to the family, every day, of Jesus' sacrifice and their possibility of salvation through religion.