How we cite our quotes: (Scene, Line numbers)
Quote #7
MOTHER COURAGE: […] Thank the Lord they're corruptible. After all, they ain't wolves, just humans out for money. Corruption in humans is same as compassion in God. Corruption's our only hope. Long as we have it there'll be lenient sentences and even an innocent man'll have a chance of being let off. (III, 644-649)
Help us, corruption, you're our only hope. Mother Courage not only sees an indifference to virtue in her world; she counts on it, the same way some people believe in God. This line makes a point of equating two concepts, compassion and corruption. While we might think of these as opposites, the words themselves sound similar, and that adds to the humorous-cynical effect of their comparison.
Quote #8
YOUNG SOLDIER: Out of there, you thief! I'll slice you into pork chops, I will. Pocketing my prize money after I'd swum the river, only one in the whole squadron, and now I can't even buy meself a beer. I'm not standing for that. Come on out there so I can cut you up! (IV, 22-26)
C'mon, taking this guy's tip is a low blow. This young soldier is an example of someone in Mother Courage who stands up for something he believes in. But in the end, Mother Courage talks him down. Though he is willing to protest something small, like not receiving a tip for saving the colonel's horse, he's not so willing to stand up for the larger injustice, which is the fact that he and his fellow soldiers don't have enough food.
Quote #9
THE CHAPLAIN: Where's that linen?
MOTHER COURAGE: I can't give nowt. What with expenses, taxes, loan interest and bribes. Making guttural noises, Kattrin raises a plank and threatens her mother with it. […] (V, 35-38)
Sheesh. It almost seems like this line is designed to prevent us from feeling sympathy for Mother Courage. A peasant family has been injured during a Catholic attack, and even then, all she thinks about is money. This line shocks us into wondering whether Mother Courage has any morals at all.