How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The phrase seemed to Alfred an eastern blight, a fitting epitaph for a once-great state, Ohio, that parasitic Teamsters had sucked nearly dry [...] Now came a new effeminate generation for whom "easygoing" was a compliment. (4.17)
Alfred values hard work above everything. It's understandable: He had a rough childhood and lived through even rougher times. This hard-nosed Midwestern upbringing is out of place on the East Coast.
Quote #8
For a moment her blue eyes seemed to look inward; apparently she had that ability of the enviable, of the non-Midwestern, of the moneyed, to assess her desires without regard to social expectations or moral imperatives. (4.742)
Enid—like Gary—associates the East Coast with wealth. The only difference is that, while Gary is attracted to it, Enid resents it.
Quote #9
The word she wanted to apply to Robin Passafaro, who had lived in urban Philly all her life, was "Midwestern." By which she mean hopeful or enthusiastic or community-spirited. (5.571)
The Lamberts' identity as Midwesterners is less about the place where they grew up and more about the culture that raised them.