How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Being thrifty, she would eat slowly, and pick up crumbs from the table with her fingers to save bread from her twelve-pound loaf, which was baked specially for her and which lasted her twenty days. (1.6)
Our dear Félicité, though, is another story. Rather than being accustomed to the finer things, she's used to poverty and sacrifice. Can you imagine eating only one loaf of bread for twenty days? The stark contrast between her lifestyle and the place she lives just makes the lack of wealth that much grimmer.
Quote #5
She was standing modestly on the sidelines when a prosperous-looking young man, who had been leaning with his elbows on the shaft of a tipcart, came up to her and asked her to dance. He bought her cider, coffee, a buckwheat pancake, a scarf, and, assuming that she had guessed his intention, offered to walk her home. On the edge of a field of oats, he suddenly threw her to the ground. She took fright and started screaming. He ran off. (2.3)
Théodore, that "prosperous-looking young man," tries to use his wealth to have his way with Félicité. He thinks that by dressing fancy and buying her things he should be able to do whatever he wants with her body. Good thing she ran off screaming, though the whole encounter shows that wealth gives people certain entitlements that aren't fair to everyone around them.
Quote #6
Soon he admitted an inconvenient fact: the previous year, his parents had paid a man to do his military service for him. But they could still come for him any day, and the idea terrified him. (2.10)
Whoa. Not only does Teddy use his family money to try to get his girls, he also uses it to get out of doing his military service. It's a very common practice (check out our own U.S. history if you think this sounds crazy unfair).