How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. (1.1.1)
This is the first line in the book, and it sets up quite a class difference between a society woman and a homeless woman. It's shocking to learn that they're two members of the same family.
Quote #2
We might enroll in school, but not always. Mom and Dad did most of our teaching. (2.4.12)
Most children get their education from pubic schools, but the Walls family exists outside of society in many ways, including this one. Early on, the Wallses educate their children in the school of life.
Quote #3
Mom always said people worried too much about their children. Suffering when you're young is good for you, she said. (2.5.15)
Mom's parenting style is both a rebellion against her own mother and a rebellion against society as a whole. She thinks kids are too sheltered, so she is fine not giving her own children any shelter at all. Why does she think this stuff?