What is Therese trying to say here? Is she saying that sex is unnecessary? Or is this just her youthful inexperience talking? What are Carol and Therese trying to find through sex?

Carol probably got married in the 1940s, when it was even more expected for women to marry. Therese is living at the beginning of a new society that's starting to be more accepting of single women. But it's just starting; there's still a long way to go.

Carol's paraphrasing a song, but it's still a weird thing for a lover to say to another, although the two aren't lovers yet. Carol seems to be suggesting that Therese needs a mentor so she won't be a child all by herself.

This is an immature attitude, like wanting to cook dinner but not do the dishes—it's indicative of a person who doesn't want to accept the consequences for their actions. This is what Therese does with Richard. She starts a relationship with him, but she doesn't want to clean it up.

The older women are condescending toward Therese. We're not sure why she wants to hang out with them because they often say rude things to her.

This sentence has a layered meaning. The mention of Abby's name clouds Therese's vision—she should be enjoying this special time with Carol, but she's immediately jealous that another woman has entered the picture.

We think Therese is being insecure here since people comment multiple times that Therese makes Carol laugh. Or maybe they're being sarcastic, and Therese is terrible at making Carol laugh—we never actually see Carol laugh with Therese, so maybe Therese is right to be jealous of Abby.

Again, Therese is jealous of Abby, here because she and Carol have a history that Therese and Carol do not. However, Therese will learn that history isn't everything.