How we cite our quotes: [Part.Paragraph]
Quote #7
"Donations are pouring in, about a sack a day." "A sack of what?" "You name it." […] "You opened them, says Ma, looking in the envelopes. "Believe me, you need this stuff filtered. F-E-C-E-S, and that's just for starters." (4.559-4.563)
Okay, the outside world is weird. When we find out stuff like this, it makes us wonder if things were better in Room after all. At least there, strangers don't send you poo in the mail…
Quote #8
I'm learning lots more manners. When something tastes yucky we say it's interesting. (4.739)
Ma has to teach Jack how to behave in "polite society," and a lot of being polite is all in how you word things. It's funny how little tricks like this are passed down from generation to generation. We later learn that Grandma taught Ma this sly way of wording things.
Quote #9
"Some of the women grow long hair like us," I tell Ma, "but the men don't." "Oh, a few do, rock stars. It's not a rule, just a convention." "What's a—?" "A silly habit everyone has." (4.1068-4.1070)
All of Jack's questions make Ma, and us, question society's arbitrary rules and customs. Ma has to strike a balance between letting Jack live the way he wants to live and teaching him to conform to society's rules.