How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Dad wheeled around and gave Lori such a cold, angry look that I thought he might wallop her. "She was my mother, for God's sake," he said. (3.13.6)
Even though Erma was sexually abusive and an all-around nasty person, Dad still defends her, solely because she was his mother. Why do the kids in this book defend their abusive parents? Do the parents guilt them into feeling this way? Or is it something else?
Quote #8
But if the child-welfare man got it into his head that we were an unfit family, we'd have no way to drive him off. He'd launch an investigation and end up sending me and Brian and Lori and Maureen off to live with different families, even though we all got good grades and knew Morse code. (3.16.22)
The Walls family is less than ideal, to put it mildly. But Jeannette would rather have the family she knows than a family she doesn't. However, she is more concerned with her siblings, not really her parents.
Quote #9
"If you want to be treated like a mother," I said, "you should act like one." (3.22.15)
There's a role reversal here as Jeannette enters high school. This is the point at which she becomes more of a mother to her younger siblings than her own mother is. This causes some tension; Mom doesn't really want to have all the responsibilities of being a mom, but she doesn't want anyone to point that out to her, and she doesn't want anyone to take over her role either, obviously.