How we cite our quotes: (line)
Quote #1
They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair. (line 1)
We've said it before and we'll say it again: beans aren't that great. They just happen to be the cheapest food you can buy. Our guess? This couple isn't exactly rolling in the dough.
Quote #2
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware. (lines 3-4)
Just about everything in this description points to a family that never had too much money in the good times – and the present day sure isn't part of the good times. Everything is cracked and chipped and, well, generally falling apart.
Quote #3
Two who have lived their day, (line 6)
The poverty that this couple is living in might be made worse by the fact that they're both elderly – perhaps even too old to work.
Quote #4
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room (line 11)
Brooks takes care to emphasize that there's absolutely no area of this couple's life that is well-off. It's not like they're eating beans on their yacht – or even in their suburban home. Nope, these people live in a tiny room behind someone else's house. Oh, and they're eating beans.