How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Kramer vs. Kramer.
Quote #4
TED: What's that say?
BILLY: It says "Kramer."
TED: Kramer. Who's that?
BILLY: That's us.
Aw. They're a family. Families don't need to have a mom, a dad, 2.5 kids, and a dog named Spike. (Hopefully that goes without saying, but, well, it's our job to say it.)
Quote #5
JOANNA: I know I left my son. I know that that's a terrible thing to do. Believe me, I have to live with that every day of my life. But in order to leave him, I had to believe that it was the only thing I could do, and that it was the best thing for him. I was incapable of functioning in that home, and I didn't know what the alternative was going to be, so I thought it was not best that I take him with me. However, I have since gotten some help, and I have worked very, very hard to become a whole human being, and I don't think I should be punished for that, and I don't think my little boy should be punished. Billy's only seven years-old. He needs me. I'm not saying he doesn't need his father, but I really believe he needs me more. I was his mommy for five-and-a-half years, and Ted took over that role for 18 months, but I don't know how anybody can possibly believe I have less of a stake in mothering that little boy than Mr. Kramer does. I'm his mother. I'm his mother.
Joanna's speech cuts right to the heart of the film. What roles do men and women play as parents? If you're the mom in a family, is that the only role you can or should play? Is the mom automatically the most important parent just because she's the mom? Ultimately, the court seems to think so; Ted disagrees (obvi).
Quote #6
MARGARET: Joanna, things are not the same now. Ted is not the same man. You don't know how hard he's tried. They're beautiful together, just beautiful…If you could see them together, Joanna—I mean, maybe you wouldn't be here now.
Margaret's woke. She's seen Ted be a father and a mother to Billy. She knows that the two of them are a complete family unit because she's experienced Ted Kramer 2.0 and the new Kramer family dynamic.