She meant that her great-grandmother enjoyed looking out the window and watching her children play. If one of them was wounded, she would be devastated. She meant that she wished to be free, but her family kept her inside all day so she could gaze out the window. Esperanza's grandmother didn't have much happiness in her life. Her husband was often away from home working, and when he was there, they fought about money. He wanted to send her away to live with his brother, but she refused because she didn't have any money of her own. So he bought her a ticket to California, but she never made it there. The wife of Esperanza's grandfather was mentally ill. She spent most of her time sitting in a chair, staring at the wall. When she did leave the house, she went to visit her sister, who was also sick. This woman didn't even have enough energy to care for herself, so her sister was taken care of by other people. When Esperanza's grandmother died at the age of 39, her husband sent for their son in California to come home. But when he got here, he found that someone else had moved into the house instead of his mother. This is why Esperanza's grandmother lived a sad life. There was no one here to take care of her when she became sick or injured.