How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I don't like being manhandled, even by young women who look like something out of mythology when they're steamed up. I took her arms off my shoulders, and said: "Stop bellyaching. You're still alive." (17.16)
Part of being macho in Red Harvest means not letting women get the better of you. The Op definitely doesn't act the part of the gentleman when he's around the ladies. He's better described as a brute or a scoundrel, and he doesn't seem to care whether or not his poor manners offend anyone around him.
Quote #8
Elihu Willsson opened the meeting.
He said things couldn't go on the way they were going. We were all sensible men, reasonable men, grown men who had seen enough of the world to know that a man couldn't have everything his own way, no matter who he was. Compromises were things everybody had to make sometimes. To get what he wanted, a man had to give other people what they wanted. He said he was sure that what we all most wanted now was to stop this insane killing. He said he was sure that everything could be frankly discussed and settled in an hour without turning Personville into a slaughterhouse. (19.8)
Elihu's speech is a pretty good one, but it's meant to be read ironically. Not only does Elihu not really believe in what he's saying, but as readers we are also aware the irony behind his words because none of the men in Personville are "sensible." A big reason why these gangs are competing against each other is because no side is willing to compromise. And we also know that this senseless killing isn't going to stop until everyone is dead. It's a pretty bleak state of affairs.
Quote #9
There were a lot of men in the corridor when I left McGraw. Some of these men were young—just kids—quite a few were foreigners, and most of them were every bit as tough looking as any men should be. (22.43)
When the Op leaves the police station, he observes a group of men in the corridor and even these unknown nameless men are described in terms of their toughness. The Op seems to be impressed by the fact that these men are "tough looking," which emphasizes just how important it is to exhibit one's masculinity in the ruthless city of Personville.