How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I'd never had the feeling before, and I haven't really had it since. I don't mean to say that I'd been unhappy. It was more that there had always been something wrong before, somewhere—something to worry about. (And, as you'll see, there's been a fair bit to worry about since, but we'll get to that.) For instance, my parents were getting divorced, and they were fighting. (1.5)
Sam's family life has always been filled with turmoil. It's not just that his parents got divorced; they've kept fighting long after the divorce papers were signed. Sam feels stuck in the middle of his parents and always has to navigate their anger at one another. His family life hasn't exactly been a perfect one.
Quote #2
The story of my family, as far as I can tell, is always the same story, over and over again […] Those stories make you feel as though the whole world is on its way up. But in our family, people always slip up on the first step. In fact, most of the time they don't even find the stairs. (2.21)
Even though he wouldn't admit it to anybody, Sam is embarrassed by the fact that no one in his family's really made anything of themselves. They all dropped out of school or came up short when it came to life goals, and Sam hopes to be the one to change all that. Sure, it'll be good for his own career, but it will also make his mom proud.
Quote #3
You don't have to keep a baby in your pocket if you're on the bus late at night. And if you think about it, that must tell you something, because people will mug you for anything worth having, which means that a baby can't be worth having. (2.167)
We'll admit we've never thought about comparing a baby and iPod before. It's telling that Sam thinks about a baby as something that's not valuable or worth anything. We can't say that his viewpoint changes all that much, even after Roof is born. Sam doesn't really see the point in starting at family (yet).