Relying on her young brother Thomas' salary to live on, Jade still complains to Thomas, “You went to high school, you got your damn diploma. We don't. That's why we have to do this GED shit. If we had a diploma we could just watch TV and not be disturbed” (Saunders). The use of foul language along with an illogical reason intentionally reduced the readers' sympathy for this illiterate single mother. The confidence in her words is also a sign of her stupidity as she falsely believes that just having the GED will ultimately guarantee her a better situation, even after witnessing Thomas' vulnerable experience at the Joysticks. Although Jade appears to be an inferior woman, the harshness of her speech makes her a hostile figure, compared to her poor high school graduate brother. By using the contradiction between Thomas and his sister, Saunders implies the importance of education for the poor. However, it is also questionable whether Thomas is as lucky as Jade claims before, since after all Thomas is the one who has to carry the burden of this troubled family. Through the use of characterization, irony, and tone, Saunders