How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He had a bottle of whiskey and he drank that. (1.14)
Yep, the whole bottle. Mattie wants the readers to understand that Tom Chaney's drunkenness led directly to his murdering her father. We get it.
Quote #2
"[…] You see what I have come to because of drink. I killed my best friend in a trifling quarrel over a pocketknife. I was drunk and it could just as easily have been my brother. If I had received good instructions as a child I would be with my family today and at peace with my neighbors." (2.14)
Here, Mattie's recalling the speech of a man who's about to die. He blames alcohol not only for his murder of his friend, but to his own about-to-be-hanged state. Notice that the man believes that abuse of alcohol is a result of a bad upbringing. Today we know that alcohol abuse has a lot to do with brain chemistry—but it can still lead to terrible consequences.
Quote #3
"The meanest on is Rooster Cogburn. He is a pitiless man, double-tough, and fear don't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull cork. […]"
"Where can I find this Rooster?" (2.37-38)
Apparently, it's perfectly acceptable for U.S. Marshals to drink on the job. Great! That probably doesn't lead to excess force at all.