Chapter 8 Summary

The more Maggie thinks of Pete, the more dissatisfied she becomes with her life. The dresses she owns are no longer suitable to her, and she begins to pay particular attention to the finely dressed women on the street. The air in the shirt factory begins to suffocate her, and she longs for a friend with whom she could discuss her feelings about Jimmy. Maggie's mother is often drunk and furious, and Jimmie usually comes home stumbling after a late night drinking binge at the bar, so she has no one to talk to about her feelings. Pete continues to take Maggie out on dates to places she has never seen before and often to the theater. Maggie always leaves the plays with an upbeat feeling, and she wonders whether she will experience the same cultural refinements as the heroines in the plays...