How we cite our quotes: (paragraph)
Quote #1
He scorned the provisions made in the name of charity for the city's dependents. In Soapy's opinion the Law was more benign than Philanthropy. There was an endless round of institutions, municipal and eleemosynary, on which he might set out and receive lodging and food accordant with the simple life. (5)
What is this, a vocab test? Let's break down some of the crazier words we see here: if something is "benign" it isn't malicious or harmful; "philanthropy" is charity, good works, making donations, and stuff like that; and our favorite word of the bunch, "eleemosynary," describes something that is run on charity. So, what's the point? Well, this is all a fancy way for us to understand that Soapy could, if he wanted to, get food and shelter from the city or from any number of private charities, but he'd rather go to jail. It's eleemosynary, dear Watson.
Quote #2
If not in coin you must pay in humiliation of spirit for every benefit received at the hands of philanthropy. […] every bed of charity must have its toll of a bath, every loaf of bread its compensation of a private and personal inquisition. (5)
According to Soapy, people who give in charity to people like Soapy charge a secret price. What is the price? A bath, for one thing. Soapy doesn't want anybody telling him when to take a bath. We see where he's coming from, but you'd think he'd appreciate a good bath. We mean… don't they make him take a bath over in jail, too? Seriously though, Soapy is saying that because someone gives him food, they feel they have the right to pry into his business, even though these prying people are probably just trying to figure out how to help him. It's not clear how much of this is Soapy's real criticism of welfare systems, and how much is meant to be ironic and funny.
Quote #3
Soapy left his bench and strolled out of the square and across the level sea of asphalt, where Broadway and Fifth Avenue flow together. Up Broadway he turned, and halted at a glittering café, where are gathered together nightly the choicest products of the grape, the silkworm, and the protoplasm. (7)
What a contrast. One the one hand we have Soapy, a man who is homeless and almost penniless, and on the other we have a place where the wealthy and powerful gather to shop, dine, and be entertained. This is exemplified by the first restaurant Soapy tries to get into. He observes that the best wine (from the grape), silk (from the silkworm), and people (it was once believed that a part of a cell called a protoplasm was responsible for all life; it's probably being used figuratively here) are there.