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Angela Shepard
Bryon’s mother is characterized primarily by her selflessness. Bryon frequently states that she puts others ahead of herself—proven by the fact that she takes Mark in when he is nine years old, after his parents kill each other during a drunken argument. Bryon also appreciates that his mother frequently leaves him and Mark to their own devices, choosing not to pry too much into their lives. Like his love for Cathy, Bryon’s love and respect for his mother causes him to be more selfless, as she tries to put his mother’s needs before his own. At the beginning of the novel, Bryon’s mother has just had an expensive operation, and she cannot work for a month afterward. Because of this, Bryon gets a job at a supermarket—sacrificing his rebelliousness in order to support her.
Bryon’s Mother Quotes in That Was Then, This Is Now
The That Was Then, This Is Now quotes below are all either spoken by Bryon’s Mother or refer to Bryon’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
I was the hustler and Mark was the thief. We were a great pair. One thing about it, though. Mark couldn’t see anything wrong with stealing stuff. I could. It didn’t much matter to me whether or not Mark was a thief, but I still felt that stealing was wrong—at least it’s against the law. I think Mark was only dimly aware of that fact. Stealing was a game to him, something to do for fun and profit, and he was careful not to get caught because that was one of the rules.
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Chapter 3
Quotes
Y’know, when I first came around tonight, after that kid cracked me, I was scared stiff. I thought I was dyin’, I was so scared. I really felt weird. But after I got to thinkin’ you were there with me, I calmed down. Bryon, you’re the only family I got, you know that? I mean, your mom’s been great to me and everything, but I don’t feel like she’s really my old lady. But I feel like you’re my brother. A real one.
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Chapter 6
Quotes
Mom had to stay in bed for a month, so we were really getting hard up for money. I got to thinking about what Charlie had said when I asked him for a job. I decided I needed a haircut, clean clothes, and a really big change in attitude. I’ve told you that I don’t like authority. This gives people the impression that I’m a smart-aleck kid. I’ll admit I’m pretty mouthy. I got to thinking, Who’s going to hire a mouthy kid who acts like he already knows it all?
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Bryon’s Mother Quotes in That Was Then, This Is Now
The That Was Then, This Is Now quotes below are all either spoken by Bryon’s Mother or refer to Bryon’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
I was the hustler and Mark was the thief. We were a great pair. One thing about it, though. Mark couldn’t see anything wrong with stealing stuff. I could. It didn’t much matter to me whether or not Mark was a thief, but I still felt that stealing was wrong—at least it’s against the law. I think Mark was only dimly aware of that fact. Stealing was a game to him, something to do for fun and profit, and he was careful not to get caught because that was one of the rules.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3
Quotes
Y’know, when I first came around tonight, after that kid cracked me, I was scared stiff. I thought I was dyin’, I was so scared. I really felt weird. But after I got to thinkin’ you were there with me, I calmed down. Bryon, you’re the only family I got, you know that? I mean, your mom’s been great to me and everything, but I don’t feel like she’s really my old lady. But I feel like you’re my brother. A real one.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6
Quotes
Mom had to stay in bed for a month, so we were really getting hard up for money. I got to thinking about what Charlie had said when I asked him for a job. I decided I needed a haircut, clean clothes, and a really big change in attitude. I’ve told you that I don’t like authority. This gives people the impression that I’m a smart-aleck kid. I’ll admit I’m pretty mouthy. I got to thinking, Who’s going to hire a mouthy kid who acts like he already knows it all?
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