"Not a hunchback. A henchman!...And real tough. He's a bagman."
Jay says this to his little brother, Arty when Arty mishears Jay say that Louie is a "hunchback" for a living. This reveals the comic relationship between the two brothers, particularly Arty's naiveté, as well as foreshadowing that Uncle Louie is mixed up in some corrupt business.
"...Without even the slightest idea of what I'm doing, I can make that nine thousand dollars in less than a year..."
Eddie says this to his two sons before he must leave them to go on the road to make back the money that he owes a loan shark. This statement shows us that during WWII there was a great boom in sectors of the economy connected with the war effort, which allowed some people to make money and eventually brought the country out of the Great Depression. It is Eddie's justification for leaving the boys behind at Grandma Kurnitz's.
"Don't worry so much about your grandma. Your grandma knows how to take care of herself, believe me...Go on outside, both of you. You talk too much."
Grandma says this when Jay asks her what she would do without the store if she sold it. Her statement clearly identifies her as a woman of great strength that has endured hardship in her life and knows what she is capable of withstanding, even if others do not.
"Did you ever notice there’s something wrong with everyone on Pop’s side of the family?"
This quote is from the very first scene of the play. Jay says it to Arty as they wait for their father to finish talking to their Grandma. Before we have met anyone else from the Kurnitz family, Jay says this line, foreshadowing that the Kurnitz clan will be a motley dysfunctional group.
"How about a big ice cream soda deluxe?"
After Eddie has told his two sons not to accept an ice cream soda from their aunt, Bella enters and almost immediately utters this line, offering them ice cream sodas. This line shows that Jay and Arty will have to resist their aunt's nurturing attitude, as well as illustrating that Bella is a loving woman who wants to provide comfort to her nephews.
"Oh, my God. What if Grandma says "yes"?"
Jay says this to Arty right after Eddie has told them he's trying to get Grandma to agree to let them stay while he is off selling scrap metal. The line is humorous because one would expect that having lost their apartment, the boys would be eager to be on their best behavior and convince their Grandma to agree to take them in, but because Grandma is so mean, that is the last thing they want. While Eddie is working hard to convince Grandma, the boys are in a bind; they want to allow their father to pay his debts, but living with Grandma Kurnitz is the last thing they want.
"I gotta stay here a couple days, maybe a week. They're paintin' my apartment."
When Louie first arrives at Grandma's in the middle of the night, he tells Arty and Jay this lie. It is clearly a lie, because who would have to move out of their apartment in the middle of the night so it can get painted? This quote shows that Louie is likely a mobster, like his nephews suspected, and the suggestion that his apartment is getting painted is a clear cover.
"Somebody please hold me."
After her announcement about her intention to marry Johnny goes awry, Bella is in a completely vulnerable state. Grandma does not approve of her desire to be independent, and Louie is defensive and protective about the fact that she has been dating a man. In the absence of familial support, Bella asks for physical affection, and her sister Gert provides it.
"The year Aaron died...And I closed off from him and everybody...From you and Louie...From Gert and Eddie...I lost Rose, then Aaron, and I stopped feeling because I couldn't stand losing anymore..."
This is the first and only time that Grandma is vulnerable in the entire play. After Bella has upset her, she explains that losing two of her children caused her a tremendous amount of pain, and that she closed herself off from her other children because she "couldn't stand losing anymore." In this line, we learn why Grandma is the way she is, and see her in a vulnerable light for the first time.
"They had air-conditioning at the movie house. I was actually cold. I felt so happy for the actors to be in an air-conditioned theater."
In her first scene, Bella describes the fact that the movie theater was air-conditioned, and says this made her happy for the actors, which doesn't make much sense. This comical line shows that Bella isn't completely in her right mind, that she has perceptive lapses that make her see things oddly.
