Quarrel is about a boy named Siu-Wing who is growing up in a cramped house in Australia, Sharing a room with his brother, mother and father, his grand mother sharing a room with his aunts, and his uncles also sharing a room. The name of the story refers to the bickering between his grand mother and his grand father, who doesn't live with the rest of the family.
Siu-Wing has a friend in the book who is the direct opposite of him. While Siu-Wing always seems to have unlimited food, good clothes but a cramped house, his friend Barry, has bad clothes, not enough food but a great house. These differences are caused by each families' income, where as Siu-Wing has not got a good house but has still got money coming in for food and clothes, but Barry's parents are divorced, so he has a house but no income for food or clothes.
The lifestyles do not directly show Australian characteristics, but possibly immigrants, such as who Siu-Wing was. These two different lifestyles could relate to what the world perceives to be stereotypical cultures. Barry's lifestyle similar to Africans, with insufficient food and clothes, and Siu-Wing as a stereotypical asian household, with cramped living but good food and clothes.
