How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
In a sense, the ghetto existed on a foundation of those anonymous, unthinkable deeds; insignificant and almost trivial in themselves, but collectively essential to the survival of the slum. (2.15.125)
The people who live in the slum work, as Lin (and we) said before, on the principle of necessity. They take care of each other because they realize that their own survival depends on the survival of their neighbors and the slum as a whole. The collective becomes as important, or more important, than the individual.