On the surface, this distracted remark is just a fervent wish for Nostromo to arrive soon. But it is also a deeply indicative retort to Giorgio's notion of duty. Teresa is, like Giorgio, an allegory of humanitarianism: they both desire the People to live a better life. But while Giorgio sees the eventual betterment of all through loyal duty to republican forms, Teresa has less "patience" -- she wants to see material and financial betterment now. Her central scene in Part Two makes this clear.

Teresa's allegorical role in the novel is less clear than Giorgio's because as a character she doesn't concern herself with abstract ideals; her energies are focused entirely on Nostromo. But Nostromo is himself an allegory, of the People torn between honorable duty and impatience for betterment, the two poles represented by his two adopted parents here.