How we cite our quotes: (Scene, Line numbers)
Quote #4
EILIF: […] I put it on a business footing from the start, told them 'Twenty florins a head's too much. I'll give you fifteen'. As I was meaning to pay. That threw them, and they began scratching their heads. In a flash I'd picked up my sword and was hacking 'em to pieces. (II, 119-123)
Looks like Eilif picked up a thing or two from his mother. Eilif's clever trick to steal cattle from peasants relies on breaking the rules of exchange. He pretends to pay them for the cattle, then at the last second, he surprises them with an attack. Later, Eilif will lose his life for pulling the same kind of stunt. The rule breaking he performs in tricking the peasants already foreshadows the rule breaking for which he gets punished.
Quote #5
MOTHER COURAGE: […] Stealing Yvette's boots! She's wrecking herself for money. That's understandable. But you'd do it for nothing, for pleasure. What did I tell you: you're to wait til it's peace. No soldiers for you. You're not to start exhibiting yourself till it's peacetime. (III, 386-390)
Talk about suffocating. Mother Courage is really into regulating Kattrin's sex life. Here, she compares Kattrin to Yvette. When Yvette sleeps with men, she does it for money, which means she's playing by an established rule that keeps her safe. But if Kattrin wants to do it "for nothing, for pleasure," then she's heading into territory that isn't bounded by any economic rules, and that spells danger in this world.
Quote #6
MOTHER COURAGE: […] Thank the Lord they're corruptible. After all, they ain't wolves, just humans out for money. Corruption in humans is same as compassion in God. Corruption's our only hope. Long as we have it there'll be lenient sentences and even an innocent man'll have a chance of being let off. (III, 644-649)
Corruption is organized rule-breaking. When it becomes the norm, it's pretty dependable. And at least for Mother Courage, it's a rule that's a lot more dependable than something that requires faith, like God.