How we cite our quotes: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Take care you don't get caught by a penniless girl, John." (1.9.26)
The Hales aren't the only ones who can play the class card. Mrs. Thornton, for example, tells her son John to stay away from Margaret Hale because she's poor. Little does Mrs. Thornton know that Margaret thinks she's way too good for John.
Quote #8
"If my son's work-people strike, I will only say they are a pack of ungrateful hounds." (1.15.48)
Like her son, Mrs. Thornton doesn't have much patience for workers who demand higher wages. In her mind, they're just a bunch of ingrates who should spend more time working and less time complaining.
Quote #9
"What wi' hard work first, and sickness at last, hoo's led the life of a dog. And to die without knowing one good piece o' rejoicing in all her days!" (2.3.24)
Nicholas Higgins has a different view of social classes than Mr. Thornton does. All he sees is a world where terrible working conditions have caused his daughter to become terminally ill. For him, it's impossible to live a dignified human life when bosses don't do enough to assure a good quality of life for their workers.