"Also there's Mouse, he's my real friend and you made him gone–" "Yeah," shouts Ma, "so he won't run over your face in the night and bite you." I'm crying so much my breath's all whoopy. I never knowed Mouse would bite my face, I thought that was only vampires. (1.486-1.488)
Here we again see Ma's uncanny ability to strike fear into Jack's heart. And once again, she's right. Mouse could very well nibble on Jack. But we have a feeling that she just doesn't want Mouse around because he could eat food and spread germs, not because she's terrified that Mouse'll eat her son.
Quote 23
"Scared is what you're feeling," says Ma. "but brave is what you're doing. […] Scaredybrave." "Scave." (3.306, 3.07-3.308)
We kind of like "scaredybrave" more than "scave" but it's a good word that becomes kind of a mantra for Jack. This word is Ma's way of helping Jack overcome his fears, not by ignoring them, but by understanding that it's okay to be scared as long as you can push through your fear.
"Well, the thing about breasts is, if they don't get drunk from, they figure, OK, nobody needs our milk anymore, we'll stop making it." (5.824)
After Jack spends time apart from Ma, she is unable to breastfeed him. But the time spent apart also makes Jack realize that he doesn't need to be breastfed anymore. Maybe time apart from each other is healthy for Ma and Jack, after all.