How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I ask three simple questions. How did he get that power? How is he using it? And how can it be taken off the sonofabitch?" (9.49.8)
Why does Luisa ask these questions? Is it because, as a journalist, she wants to know both sides of the story, or is it because she just doesn't want to be exploited by a man with power?
Quote #8
"Reputation is everything. Mine [...] is beyond reproach. Yours, my disinherited, gambling, bankrupt friend, is expired." (10.5.7)
Sadly, Frobisher doesn't just have to deal with monetary poverty; he's socially poor, too. Reputation is currency in his world, and those who have the social connections have the power. That's why Frobisher is at the mercy of Ayrs and other rich, well-connected (but very often despicable) people.
Quote #9
All boundaries are conventions, national ones too. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so. (10.6.2)
Frobisher is able to put this theory to the test in his composition, and his power over the art form leads him to compose his masterpiece. However, he's unable to transcend the conventions of capitalism that keep him on the run from his debtors, maybe because it's inconceivable to think of living any other way.