How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
When two girls are bound together as sisters, they perform a ceremony like a wedding. Afterward they see each other almost as members of the same family, calling each other "Older Sister" and "Younger Sister" just as real family members do. (11.2)
In addition to Auntie, Mother, and Granny, the geisha have a sorority-like system of having an older mentor and a younger mentee in a "sister" relationship.
Quote #5
When a man takes a mistress, he doesn't turn around and divorce his wife. (19.21)
The tragic implication of this is that a geisha will always be a mistress, which means she can never have a real family. She will always be on the fringes of other people's families, or within a family of other geisha that she made.
Quote #6
It goes without saying that this is why she adopted me. The fee for my mizuage was more than enough to repay all my debts to the okiya. (24.11)
You might be thinking, oh, that's nice that a geisha is able to build her own family. Many people consider their friends more of a family than the people they're related to by blood. But warm, fuzzy feelings are hard to come by in an okiya. The "family" is often in competition or looking to profit off each other.