Describes Dee as sophisticated but showy and Maggie as a lame, no-nonsense dog. However, there is a sense that Mom is closer to Maggie. Mom left the quilts as a wedding gift for Maggie. It can be inferred that Maggie is destined to marry into their community and live a life very similar to her mother's. This is another reason why she is closer to Maggie, because Maggie is like her. Yet another reason is that his relationship with Dee is complex and full of conflict. Mom is very proud of her heritage and her life, and Dee sees them as poor and ignorant. He went to school and changed his name to something more African sounding. Even after Mom explains that her name Dee has a deep meaning in her family, Dee insists that it was a name given by white slave owners. This shows that Mom and Dee do not have the “closeness” that Mom and Maggie have because they see the world in two different ways.