How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"It isn't your fault. Do you hear me? Not you. It's those savages, those washis who are to blame […] And you're not alone, hamshira. We get mothers like you all the time—all the time—mothers who come here who can't feed their children because the Taliban won't let them go out and make a living. So you don't blame yourself. No one here blames you. I understand." (3.42.49)
Laila needs to hear these words from Zaman. When you're as desperate as Laila is, it's easy to blame yourself for your circumstances. Zaman reminds her that she too is a victim of bigger political and economic forces.
Quote #8
Laila would notice the dirt under Aziza's fingernails, and Aziza would notice her noticing and bury her hands under her thighs. Whenever a kid cried in their vicinity, snot oozing from his nose, or if a kid walked by bare-assed, hair clumped with dirt, Aziza's eyelids fluttered and she was quick to explain it away. She was like a hostess embarrassed in front of her guests by the squalor of her home. (3.42.97)
People think that kids don't notice things as much as adults, but we can see here how living in the impoverished orphanage is impacting Aziza. Like Laila, she feels unduly guilty for the conditions she's living in.
Quote #9
Aziza stammered now. Mariam noticed it first. It was subtle but perceptible, and more pronounced with words that began with t. Laila asked Zaman about it. He frowned and said, "I thought she'd always done that." (3.42.105)
Aziza didn't exactly have an easy life before the orphanage. She struggled alongside her family after Rasheed's shop burned down. The conditions at the orphanage must be pretty bad for her to be so shaken up by them.