Ma tries to explain the way society works, with all its weird exceptions, even though Jack's trapped inside Room. She wants to teach him good morals —like don't hit people—but she also wants him to understand that sometimes people do hit people, and in certain contexts, it's okay. How can anyone keep all these rules straight?

Ma has to explain almost everything to Jack. He's only five. She has a great ability to explain the idioms that people use all the time without thinking. And she has incredible patience since she's able to define all of these things for her son so many times a day.

Ma uses TV mostly to educate Jack, watching educational shows like Dora and playing the Parrot game—in which Jack repeats back what people say—to build his vocabulary. She limits the use of TV, though, because most TV isn't educational at all, especially not to a five-year-old.