How did the reality of immigrants' experience differ from their dreams, as depicted in the novel?

The girls in the Smolinsky family are torn between their desire to follow their dreams and the knowledge that they are expected to listen to their parents. While the girls know that they could probably have a better life if they were to not listen to their parents, they do it anyway because they feel that it is their job to do so. In this sense, the girls in the Smolinsky family are very traditional and dutiful towards their parents.