How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mom teaches English comp, single-celled organism level, at the community college. She could be teaching a challenging English lit class somewhere good, but she never finished her dissertation or whatever it is you need to become a bona fide PhD. Mom has trouble finishing stuff. The house is crowded with half-scribbled-in crossword puzzles, books with the bookmarks in the middle, bags of knitting, scarves she got halfway through and then abandoned. (5.2)
It sounds like Cam has a sort of begrudging respect for his mom, and he wishes that she had done better for herself. But it must be frustrating to live with someone who is perpetually scatterbrained. At least their relationship isn't as contentious as the one Cam has with his father and sister.
Quote #5
"Maybe you don't have a daddy at home. Maybe you do. But here at the Buddha Burger, I like to think of us as family. You know what that means?"
There's yet another place where I can feel awkward, resentful, and out of touch? (6.36-37)
It must be really hard to feel that way in your own home. And at work. And in school. Being Cam is tough, man… he'll have you know.
Quote #6
"I thought maybe we could all go to Luigi's for an early dinner tonight," Dad announces. He makes these announcements periodically, the "let's act like a family" edicts. For all I know, he may make them a lot, but it's rare that we're all gathered in the same place at the same time to hear them. We're like electrons both attracting and repelling each other. (7.1)
This passage shows that despite his anger that continues to simmer just under the surface, Cam's dad is still trying to make them be a functional family. He wants them to be happy and whole, and part of his misery probably stems from the dysfunction that pervades their home.