What can you infer about the narrator's childhood experiences based on her description of her hometown?

From the text, we can infer that Lizabeth's childhood held a great deal of freedom. Her childhood was impoverished, her parents worked hard, and her father looked hard for work. Note, the text does tell us that Lizabeth's mother received weekly pay, and that the family wasn't starving..... they had food, they had the necessities, but little else.

“Look, we ain’t starving. I git paid every week, and Mrs. Ellis is real nice about giving me things. She gonna let me have Mr. Ellis’s old coat for you this winter—”

None-the-less, Marigolds does paint a picture of what life was like for the majority during this period of American history. In turn, the author paints a picture of hope in what seems like a hopeless world.