How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
So she sold her properties, apart from two farms, one at Tocques and the other at Geffosses, the income from which amounted to no more than 5,000 francs, and moved from her house in Saint-Melaine to another, less expensive one which had belonged to her ancestors, located behind the covered market. (1.3)
An important part of understanding Madame Aubain's "haughty attitude" is understanding that she used to be rich and lost her home. Her new home, the one we get to see, is just not as good as what she's used to. The whole second half of her life is marked by loss, and that loss is symbolized in her home.
Quote #2
The interior was on different levels, and it was easy to trip up. (1.4)
This statement is so weird it has to have a second meaning. Why on earth would it be easy to trip just because a house is on different levels? Tons of houses are on "different levels" and that doesn't cause any problems. Maybe the levels represent something else; perhaps the class divide between Félicité and the rest of the family?
Quote #3
[Madame's bedroom] had pale, flowered wallpaper and a portrait of 'Monsieur' dressed like a fop, and communicated with a smaller bedroom containing two children's bunks without mattresses. (1.5)
The portrait of "Monsieur" is a painting of Madame Aubain's dead husband. We never meet him as a living character in the story, but his memory is an important presence in the home. Madame Aubain never remarries, and she hangs onto her identity as his widow, partially by decorating her home with his portrait looming over her bedroom. It's like he never left.