How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"There's nothing wrong with that shirt. Wanda told me at the Goodwill store that it came in from one of those big mansions down in the Garden District." (1.4)
Nick's family is poor, but they really want to be rich. Nick's mom seems to think she can be wealthy through osmosis. She only buys this tacky shirt because it comes from a rich family.
Quote #2
Made up of three small rooms—the kitchen/living room, his mom's bedroom, and the bathroom—it wasn't much, but it was theirs and his mom was proud of it, so he tried to be proud too. Most days. (1.30)
As proud as Nick's mom tries to be of what little they have, Nick has a hard time keeping up with her positivity. He doesn't like his situation at all, and he wants to change things. It's not easy to be the poor kid in school, even if you're not at a hoity-toity school for rich kids.