What does the narrator mean when she says, " i suppose that futile waiting was the sorrowful background music of our impoverished little community when i was young."?

The narrator means to characterize her neighborhood by describing its audioscape, the way it sounds as you’re walking through. Unlike other more prosperous neighborhoods where the background includes people laughing and talking, cars driving buying and perhaps sidewalk salesmen, the narrator’s neighborhood is quiet – no sounds of commerce, children playing, not even voices talking as the people wait for things to improve.

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