Quote 4
My eight housemates were eight men, all homosexuals. (25.4)
This is a huge change for Marjane because, as you may or may not know, there are no homosexuals in Iran. At least, that's what Iran wants you to think.
Quote 5
It had been so long since I'd been able to talk to someone without having to explain my culture. (25.62)
Marjane has a hard time being an Iranian anywhere in the world. Even outside Iran, she's constantly having to explain Iran. It must be exhausting. She has a good time just relating to her mother on a person-to-person level. Maybe this is why when people from other countries get together, they prefer speaking their culture's language instead of English.
Quote 6
I didn't understand why the mother-in-law [on TV] hated the hairdresser so much. Much later, I got to know a girl who dubbed television shows. She told me that Oshin was in fact a Geisha and since her profession didn't suit Islamic morals, the director of the channel had decided that she'd be a hairdresser. (31.17)
This isn't TV… it's not HBO, either… it's ridiculous censorship. The director didn't make any effort to change the context, he just changed one word and assumed his viewers would swallow it without question. Sadly, most of them probably did. That's how Iran is the place it is: many people swallow what those in power tell them without questioning it. Heck—it's how all sorts of places operate.