How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Can't serve no beer to minors, babylove, even if you are a mighty cute-lookin fella. Now what you want is a nice NEHI grapepop," said the woman, lumbering away. (1.1.76)
Joel is at an in-between stage, and all the awkwardness of being thirteen can be encapsulated in his drink order. He wants a cold beer after having traveled on his own for days, which is a pretty grown-up thing to do, really. But Miss Roberta reminds him that, traveler or not, he's a kid and gives him a childish drink to match his age.
Quote #2
He whipped a bow into his shoelace, called, "Yeah?" and straightened up erect, prepared to make the best, most manly impression possible. (1.2.12)
Joel expects that the knock on the door will be his father, and the way he responds reveals the way he wants to be perceived. The informal "Yeah" and the straightened-up manly pose mean that being mature is important to the kind of image he wants his father to have of him.
Quote #3
And his father thought: that runt is an impostor; my son would be taller and stronger and handsomer and smarter-looking. (1.2.49)
Keep in mind that this sentence, though it sounds pretty authoritative, is a scene from Joel's imagination. He fantasizes that his father has been spying on him and that, despite his attempts to make a manly impression, he doesn't size up. This is really just part of Joel's own self judging him, a part that he labels "father."