"I guess you'll never become a samurai now, huh, Manjiro-chan?"
"Why not?" Manjiro asked.
"Even if we should get home, you know very well you can't be. You weren't born into a samurai family. You were born a fisherman's son and you will be a fisherman, and any sons you have, they also will be fishermen. That is the way it is; that is the way it has always been; that is the way it will always be."
—Heart of a Samurai,
Margi Preus
What does this dialogue tell you about the time and culture of the characters?
Things do not change.
The characters might not get home.
Manjiro wants to be a samurai.
Manjiro is a fisherman.