Why Don't You Dance? Money Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)

Quote #7

"You must be desperate or something," she said. (96)

The young girl says a few times that the older man must be "desperate." In the first example at the beginning of the story, she seems to mean financially desperate—and her perception prompts her to think they can lowball the owner of the furniture. Here, though, she says that the older dude must be desperate when they're dancing (and he's getting a kick out of it), meaning, presumably, that he's desperate for love (or physical stuff).

It's kind of like the older man's financial desperation and another kind—the kind that makes him pursue a slow dance with a stranger—are mixed up together here in this moment.

Quote #8

"Look at this record-player. The old guy gave it to us. And all these crappy records. Will you look at this s***?" (97)

Apparently the older man ends up just giving away the record player and the records by the end of the evening, indicating just how "desperate" he was to get rid of his stuff (and whatever memories went with them).