How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
My aunts treated my uncles like over-grown boys—rambunctious teenagers whose antics were more to be joked at than worried over—and they seemed to think of themselves that way too. They looked young, even Nevil, who'd had his teeth knocked out, while the aunts—Ruth, Raylene, Alma, and even Mama—seemed old, worn-down, and slow, born to mother, nurse, and clean up after men. (2.24)
Well, that pretty much says it, doesn't it? This quote sets the stage for some of the other themes of the novel, as well—like age and appearances. A worn appearance shows that a person has lived a life of hardship, and it seems like the women bear the brunt of it in Bone's household.
Quote #2
Men could do anything, and everything they did, no matter how violent or mistaken, was viewed with humor and understanding […] and my aunts would shrug and make sure the children were all right at home. What men did was just what men did. Some days I would grind my teeth, wishing I had been born a boy. (2.25)
As in the previous quote, we get the sense that men don't have to suffer the same consequences as women do. Bone, even at a young age, already feels the weight of this inequality. You might want think about this quote in light of how Bone's biological father is absent in her life, while Anney struggles financially to raise her on her own.
Quote #3
"A man has needs," they'd laugh each time they got together. "So what you suppose a woman has?"
"Men!" one of them would always answer in a giggling roar. (6.110)
"A man has needs" as an excuse for cheating is one of those TV tropes that demands an eye roll. Even in the 1950's, Bone's aunts have a witty retort for it. What they are really laughing at is the idea of some sort of inherent difference between the sexes when it comes to sexual desire. At the same time, though, they seem to put up with the idea that men just can't quite control themselves.