How we cite our quotes: Volume.Part.Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #4
The confession of her heart's secret burst forth from her in those pleading words. I had no right to hear them, no right to answer them; they were the words that banished me, in the name of her sacred weakness, from the room. It was all over. (1.1.15.58)
Even a confession can be read as a weakness. It's a "sacred weakness," sure, but a weakness nonetheless. To be truly powerful, apparently, you need to banish all those pesky "heart's secrets" from your life. How boring.
Quote #5
"Oh, Marian, never laugh again. Thank God for your poverty—it has made you your own mistress, and has saved you from the lot that has fallen on me." (2.1.5.17)
The idea of poverty being empowering seems contradictory, but given how victimized Laura's marriage made her, it makes sense that she'd become a sudden advocate of poverty. Laura has become a fan of the "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" school of thought.
Quote #6
"My powers of memory, Marian, are not like yours. But I was so strongly impressed, so deeply interested, that nothing of any importance can possibly have escaped me." (2.1.6.119)
Laura ties together memory and power here. That may seem like an odd sort of power to have, but most of the book's scenes of power revolve around mental power: the ability to manipulate, to control, to convince, to remember, etc.