Analyzing the Importance of Setting

Some of the wives still refused to go. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Meyer of New York felt so self-conscious arguing about it in public that they went down to their cabin. There, they decided to part on account of their baby.
Arthur Ryerson had to lay down the law to Mrs. Ryerson: “You must obey orders. When they say ‘Women and children to the boats,’ you must go when your turn comes. I'll stay here with Jack Thayer. We’ll be all right.”
—A Night to Remember,
Walter Lord
Which two ideas from the setting influence the way characters act in this passage?
the custom of disobeying orders
the idea that people should not argue in public
the belief that the Titanic is unsinkable
the idea that people should take turns
the custom of saving women and children first

The two ideas from the setting that influence the way characters act in this passage are:

B. the idea that people should not argue in public

E. the custom of saving women and children first

Explanation:

"A Night to Remember" is a novel by Walter Lord which gives an account of the disastrous first trip of the Titanic. As we know, the ship began its journey toward America but ended up sinking after a tragic collision with an iceberg in 1912.

The fact that the story is set in 1912 is of great importance to understand how and why the characters behave in certain ways. Society at the beginning of the 20th century lived under different, more strict, social rules than it does now. People would, for instance, avoid any sort of disagreement in public, since it was frowned upon. That is represented in the first fragment: "Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Meyer of New York felt so self-conscious arguing about it in public that they went down to their cabin."

It is also important to understand that, in sinking ships, it is a rule to save children and women first. The story being set on a ship explains the second fragment: "When they say ‘Women and children to the boats,’ you must go when your turn comes. I'll stay here with Jack Thayer. We’ll be all right.”