How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I knew that it was my job to look after the grown-ups now. It was my job to keep them safe and out of trouble […]. (22.9)
It seems that Mibs is starting to adopt Fish's point of view that family and loyalty are one and the same for the Beaumonts. This passage shows an interesting difference between Mibs and Fish, though—Mibs's definition of family is wider than Fish's, and it extends to Lester and Lill.
Quote #8
Eventually, Lester turned to Lill like a beaten-down man asking for mercy. (28.34)
Loyalties can be made to principles or people, but they are what you turn to when you have nothing left. Lester has already shown a few times that he is loyal to Lill, but has never actually said it out loud. What's intriguing about Lester is that he actually realizes in this moment that previously he has given his loyalty to people who didn't deserve it, and his desperation here rises from hope that Lill will be a person worth being loyal to.
Quote #9
I felt bad, remembering my vow to keep Lill and Lester safe and out of trouble. But I couldn't sacrifice my own brother on that account; we couldn't not go back […]. (30.2)
Hello, moral conundrum for Mibs. This is a growing-up moment for Mibs, as she decides between loyalty to the family she's made or the family she was born into. Ultimately, she chooses the family she was born into and hopes the family she's made will understand.