How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph.)
Quote #1
"You don't remember the time when the Church was here. I was a bad Catholic, but it meant—well, music, lights, and a place where you could sit out of this heat—and for your mother, well, there was always something for her to do. If we had a theatre, anything at all instead, we shouldn't feel so—left." (1.4.45)
The Church was a source of culture, and for some, the only culture they had. The persecution of the faith meant the suppression of events and activities that entertained those who couldn't afford private luxuries. Now they feel deserted.
Quote #2
"Mother," the child said, "do you believe there is a God?"
The question scared Mrs Fellows. She rocked furiously up and down and said, "Of course."
"I mean the Virgin Birth—and everything."
"My dear, what a thing to ask. Who have you been talking to?
"Oh," she said. "I've been thinking, that's all." (1.4.58-62)
The witness of the priest does make a difference. Some parents continue to share their faith with their children, but not all do, and an occasional priest is the only instruction some people get. If they hear from a priest at all, it can be years in the waiting.
Quote #3
They walked up the street side by side, the fat one and the lean. It was Sunday and all the shops closed at noon—that was the only relic of the old time. No bells rang anywhere. (1.4.77)
Only churches had bells ringing to tell the time—a small but significant detail of how the Church shaped the "secular" culture. The oppression of the faith had unintended consequences.