How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Enrique, those girls need some learning. Look at us." Mamá had never admitted it, but I suspected she couldn't even read.
"What's wrong with us?" Papá countered […]. In the last few years, Papá had made a lot of money from his farm. Now we had class. And, Mamá argued, we needed the education to go along with our cash. (1.2.13-14)
The change in cash flow has changed the family's position in society. Rather than being poor, struggling farmers, they now are firmly part of the upper classes. Mamá recognizes that while poor families might get away with having uneducated daughters, now that they are rich they must educate their daughters so that they can marry well and take care of their own property.
Quote #2
"Charity student," the gossip went round. "So?" I challenged the giggly girl with curls like hiccups, who whispered it to me. She shut up real quick. It made me glad all over again I'd given Sinita that button. (1.2.28)
Minerva shows her sympathy with all classes at an early age—she quickly makes friends with the girl who is obviously poor (the worn-out clothes and shoes give it away). By defending Sinita she elevates her friend in the eyes of their classmates, transcending the class division between them.
Quote #3
I thought she was always poor, but it turned out her family used to be rich and important. Three of her uncles were even friends of Trujillo. But they turned against him when they saw he was doing bad things. (1.2.53)
One of the ways that Trujillo maintained control of people in the country was by punishing their entire family by ruining their finances. Sinita's family went from rich to poor by losing all of the moneymaking men in the family.