There were prostitutes, pimps, and drug dealers standing on the corners. There were drive-bys. And down the street there was a liquor store that stayed open all night long.
-- Michelle (Chapter 2 paragraph Page 7, paragraph 2)

Importance: Michelle described the neighborhood her family lived in after being homeless for a year.

I knew the drugs we sold and delivered were making people’s lives a big mess. But as much as I hated handing out weed and going to scary places, I didn’t hate that as much as I did the terrible fear and loneliness.
-- Michelle (Chapter 4 paragraph Page 42, paragraph 4)

Importance: Michelle was a drug runner for a dealer for a period of time. She felt guilty but it was her way out of her homelessness.

I had been abused by a family member for years. I’d lived in a garbage can under a bridge in all kinds of weather, like an animal. But nothing could have prepared me for losing my...
-- Michelle (Chapter 7 paragraph Page 60, paragraph 8)