How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Nailer could barely breathe. He knew now that his father was mapping out the violence, planning to catch Nailer, to teach him some respect. Nailer's eyes went to the door. (5.151)
It's strange how Richard Lopez plans to beat respect into his son, because physical violence doesn't instill respect at all. It instills fear, which is about as different from respect as you can get.
Quote #2
Lucky Strike had been collecting real power ever since his first bit of luck freed him from heavy crew. Now he smuggled everything from antibiotics to crystal slide into Bright Sands Beach […]
He was smiling and looked confident, but he had a line of hired goons standing behind him to back up his authority. (7.17-18)
Lucky Strike made his fortune by stumbling upon a cache of oil, so what lends him real power is not his ability to smuggle, but the "hired goons" who support him. Violence and the threat of violence give Lucky Strike the legitimacy he needs to stay on top of the micro society of ship breakers.
Quote #3
"She's not crew. She's just a boss girl with a lot of gold… if we pigstick her, we're rich. No more crew for life, right?"
[…] Nailer struggled with his conflicting emotions. It was more wealth than he had ever seen. (9.32-33)
Pima explains that it's easier to kill Nita than it is to help her survive, but Nailer struggles with deciding whether killing an unknown swank is worth having the guilt and the wealth. In this case, violence is a means to an end. But is the end (wealth) worth the immoral means to get there?