How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I thought so. The Tillerman home—it must have been unhappy. Do you know what that can mean?"
"I think so," Dicey said. "I mean, we were happy. We were—whether you believe it or not . . . "
"Oddly enough, I do believe it."
Dicey smiled at him. "You see, there were kids at school—they hated their parents or they hated other people so much that you knew—it wasn't just being angry, it was hating. I can't explain what I mean, but I could feel the unhappiness." (1.11.39-42)
Sure, home life might have been weird (what with a mentally ill mother), but the Tillermans were never unhappy there. That's why finding a home to them is about so much more than a house—it's about a place where they can be happy again.
Quote #5
"I think, if we can get to New York without being caught—we'll be home free."
Home, Dicey thought. She remembered the inscription on the tombstone: Home is the sailor, home is the hunter. Until she died, Dicey wouldn't expect any place to be home. Home was with Momma—and Momma was in a hospital where the doctors said she'd always stay. There could be no home for the Tillermans. Home free—Dicey would settle for a place to stay. Stay free.
Cousin Eunice's house wasn't free; it was expensive. The price was always remembering to be grateful. And there was danger to Sammy and Maybeth, of being sent to foster homes or special schools; danger to Dicey and James of forgetting and saying what they thought before wondering if it would sound ungrateful.
Dicey had lowered her sights. She no longer hoped for a home. Now she wanted only a place where the Tillermans could be themselves and do what was good for them. Home was out of the question. Stay might be possible, if this grandmother could be persuaded. (2.1.6-9)
Oh, this is sad. The kids can never be back home in that happy place with Momma. So what can they do now? Dicey doesn't need to recreate that home anymore. She just needs a place where they can stay and be themselves and not worry about being separated from each other.
Quote #6
It would be something to live in a circus, Dicey thought, always moving around, always heading for somewhere new. If it was Dicey's circus, she would go everywhere. She planned it out to herself, alone in Claire's trailer at night, with the noise from the fairgrounds behind her. First, all around the United States, then up to Canada and down to Mexico. She would make her circus get famous and get jobs in Europe, and maybe even China or Japan. They'd have trailers for land travel and a ship of their own for sea travel. She would have real lions. (2.6.228)
The circus would be a pretty kick butt home, but Dicey realizes that this isn't really practical—the kids have to go to school, after all. But a homeless girl can dream, can't she?