How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #1
As we linger over the last of our luxuries… we don't say what we both know.
That the first thing we must do is pay the landlord
And Gita's uncle, who sold us last season's seed.
And the headman's wife who would not trade cooking oil for work.
And my teacher, who gave me her own pencil when she saw I had none. (21.Maybe.16-17)
Self-deception is incredibly important in the novel. Lakshmi and her mother use it to cope with their harsh reality on the mountaintop, and we see Lakshmi use this same technique later on at Happiness House. Instead of dwelling on what could destroy their family, Lakshmi and Ama savor the luxuries while they can.
Quote #2
"From now on," he says, "I will be your uncle. But you must call me husband. Do you understand?"
I don't. Not at all. But I nod.
"The border is a very dangerous place," he says. "There are bad men there, men with guns, men who might harm you or try to take you away from me and Auntie." (54.UncleHusband.8-10)
With her stepfather Lakshmi could respond to his repeated lies by not trusting him, but with Uncle Husband she doesn't have the same luxury. In this case, her situation forces her to put her faith in him, though she knows nothing about him. Understandly, once she finds out about all the betrayals that brought her to Happiness House, she mistrusts anyone new.
Quote #3
In the days that follow, many people come to my room. Some are real. Some are not. (82.Twilight.1)
Not all lies are bad. Lakshmi has just undergone a brutal violation, and it's not over. Whether because of the drug in the lassi or because her mind is protecting her, Lakshmi is unaware of who is real and who isn't in the days that follow her initial rape.