How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
We smoke together quietly in the moonlight and I realize something I can never say to Sarah. There might've been another reason, a deeper one, why I didn't want to be around her. It's that she's not Bailey, and that's a bit unbearable for me—but I need to bear it. (31.15)
The key here is the line "I need to bear it." It's one of the first times Lennie doesn't just give in to her impulse to shut people out, and considers that what other people need is sometimes more important than what she wants to do. She's becoming stronger.
Quote #8
Before Bailey died, I don't think I ever really disappointed anyone. Did Bailey just take care of everyone and everything for me? Or did no one expect anything from me before? Or did I just not do anything or want anything before, so I never had to deal with the consequences of my messed-up actions? Or have I become really selfish and self-absorbed? Or all of the above? (32.5)
That's a lot of questions. And there's no way for us to totally figure out the answers, because we only have glimpses of the pre-Bailey's-death Lennie. But Lennie's trying to figure out how and why she's changed, and that matters, because understanding yourself is always a good thing.
Quote #9
Okay to everything. I'm a messistentialist—okay to it all. (33.63)
Lennie's given herself a new label: messistentialist, or someone who believes that life is messy and complicated, full of many conflicting truths. It's a mature thing to be, and maybe a sign that she's grown up a little. Plus, thinking of herself as such gives her the courage to read all of Gram's letters to Mom.