Give two clear quotations that suggest life during the "Great Depression" in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird.

Scout never says anything explicitly about The Great Depression in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The question of different families' finances comes up when Scout attempts to tell her teacher, Miss Caroline, that she shouldn't offer a Cunningham a quarter for lunch because he won't be able to pay her back. Scout remembers that Walter Cunningham Sr. had paid her father in kind rather than money; that is to say, he pays with food, products, or services. When a family doesn't have money, then the old ways of bartering and trading for goods and services become other ways of payment.

Scout asks Atticus why Mr. Cunningham paid with stovewood, hickory nuts, similax, and holly, and he explains it as follows:

"Because that's the only way he can pay me. He has no money . . . The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest" (21).

When Atticus says "the crash" he is referring to the stock market crash in October 1929 which burst the economic bubble in the United States and paved the way for The Great Depression.

The second time Atticus refers to The Great Depression is the day after Tom Robinson's trial. He wakes up to find a cooked chicken for breakfast along with rolls, "pork, tomatoes, beans, [and] scuppernogs" waiting for him. Calpurnia says that Tom's dad sent the chicken and other black folks sent the other goods to him out of appreciation for helping Mr. Robinson with the trial. Atticus responds by saying,

"Tell them I'm very grateful, . . . Tell them--tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard" (213).

The Great Depression isn't mentioned here, but it is implied. Atticus knew that people would be suffering by giving up such wonderful food and goods to him and he couldn't bear that. He even mentioned that the White House didn't even have chicken for breakfast, so he couldn't bring himself to even eat his breakfast. Everyone around the country was suffering from The Depression, and with Atticus being the humble guy that he is, he couldn't accept such wonderful gifts or payment.