How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I wish I could tell you something that won't make you… hate me again." He dropped his eyes, looking at the reflection of his chest in the glass. "But I can't." (18.77)
It's hard to have hopes or dreams while you're in jail. Ben doesn't even hope to get out, but he does want to have a relationship with his sister, which is something he's missed out on over the last couple of decades.
Quote #5
[Ben would] have to drop out of school and get a full-time job, which would be fine, some kid he knew quit last year and worked over near Abilene at the brick factory, got $12,000 a year." (19.14)
Here we get another glimpse at Ben's hopes for a future. Ben is simply trying to survive, so he doesn't have the luxury of dreaming of being rich or famous. He just wants to get by.
Quote #6
[Ben had] heard girls at school saying if you ate a lemon a day you'd have a miscarriage, and had thought about sneaking lemon into Diondra's diet Cokes and then realized that was wrong, to do it without her knowing, but what if she fell? (19.54)
This is a peek at Ben's dark side. For all the planning he's trying to do for the birth of his daughter, he also occasionally daydreams of Diondra having a miscarriage. That would sure make things easier.