How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Meanwhile, with a permanent staff of about fifty servants and no questions asked, our city household and country place were the scenes of a fantastic merry-go-round of theft. (2.4.2)
Later, the Nabokovs will be forced to pay for life with a handful of smuggled jewels, and later, Vladimir's mother will live off a pension from the Czech government. In St. Petersburg, however, it seems like their wealth combines with a bit of liberal guilt. Deciding to ignore the thefts is, for the Nabokovs, a form of benevolence.
Quote #2
So, with one thing and another, my father preferred to leave the whole housekeeping situation in a state of precarious equilibrium (not devoid of a certain quiet humor), with my mother deriving considerable comfort from the hope that her old nurse's illusory world would not be shattered. (2.4.2)
Being rich means being able to take power when you want it and get rid of it when you don't. Neither of the Nabokov parents much care for household running, and as a result, their network of servants and holdings are only ever partially managed. Vladimir's mother's old nurse is allowed to feel as if she has some power and agency—which, as anyone who has ever had an awesome boss will tell you—is the mark of kind management.
Quote #3
Because he stammered and had difficulty in pronouncing labials, he changed his coachman's name from Pyotr to Lev; and my father (who was always a little sharp with him) accused him of a slaveowner's mentality. (3.4.2)
There are different kinds of rich people, and Vladimir's father, liberal and aware of these types of things, isn't afraid to give Uncle Ruka (his wife's brother) a hard time. Vladimir's father has something to prove, coming from a family of Tsar-supporters, while Uncle Ruka's family is one of wealthy landowners.