How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Grabbing the front of the girl's uniform, she said, "Gimme that fifteen cents, or I'll turn you every way but loose."
The girl hung there in her mother's grasp. Mary Alice sat below them, stunned. In a small voice the girl said, "I need my money." (5.31-32)
Poor Vandalia is stuck in a Mommie Dearest situation with her mother, who won't let her have any money and abuses her. It's no wonder that she wants to get as far away from her family as possible.
Quote #8
Then as if a sudden thought struck her, she nudged me. "And you can give this boy here a two-dollar bill." She nudged Mary Alice. "And fair's fair. Give this girl two dollars too." (6.138)
Maybe it's wrong of Grandma Dowdel to shake down the banker for money, but at least she's doing it for her friends and her grandkids, and not for her own personal gain. She's always got Joey's and Mary Alice's backs.
Quote #9
Then Grandma called out after me that she and Mary Alice were going along for the ride.
And how could I explain to Grandma that learning to drive was kind of a sacred thing, and you don't want your kid sister and your grandma along? (6.144-145)
Learning how to drive is a big moment in Joey's life, and he doesn't necessarily want his grandmother and sister to be there since it makes him feel like a kid. Still, he loves them enough to let them come along for the ride.