Babbitt Friendship Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)

Quote #1

He was an older brother to Paul Riesling, swift to defend him, admiring him with a proud and credulous love passing the love of women. (5.3.19)

For Babbitt, there's no person in the world more important than Paul. In fact, Babbitt cares more about Paul than he cares about women, and this apparently includes his wife, Myra.

Quote #2

"After twenty-four years of that kind of thing, you don't expect me to fall down and foam at the mouth when you hint that this sweet, clean, respectable, moral life isn't all it's cracked up to be, do you? I can't even talk about it, except to you, because anybody else would think I was yellow." (5.3.35)

Babbitt feels like Paul Riesling is the only friend he can truly talk to about his dissatisfaction with his boring life of business and family. Paul, though, isn't going to cheer him up just because he's a friend. If anything, Paul complains about his life even more than Babbitt does.

Quote #3

Babbitt was fond of his friends, he loved the importance of being host and shouting, "Certainly, you're going to have some more chicken—the idea!" (9.1.1)

Babbitt loves to laugh with friends and have a good time, but not necessarily because he likes people so much. The thing he loves so much about company is the fact that friends tend to distract him from the things he doesn't like about his life.