>Quark gets visit from Ferengi Commerce Authority, informing him that his mother is charged with earning profit
>he has 3 days to get her to sign a confession, or else he will have to pay for what she earned (3 bars of gold-pressed latinum) and she will be sold into indentured servitude
>she doesn't want to sign because she wants to make a point about females being capable of earning profit like males
>very much a Ferengi's Ferengi, Quark wants her to confess to spare him the shame (and liability) but Rom tugs on his family loyalty
>Quark digs and discovers bits of a vast trade empire that she's managed to create for herself, of which the FCA is so far completely unaware
Now this would have been a great opportunity to allow for some character development, and showcase the cunning of both Quark and his mother, but instead it plays out like this:
>Quark and his mother have a heart-to-heart
>she caves, signing the confession and giving back a third of her trade empire to convince them that she's given up everything
A much better ending would have been:
>Quark and his mother have the same bonding heart-to-heart talk
>with newfound understanding and respect for each other, they hatch a scheme to con the FCA and get everything they want
>her assets are quietly shifted into Quark's name, so that if they are discovered, they will be traced to him; a profit-worthy male
>she admits to nothing, defiantly standing up for her principles and showing that a woman can indeed earn a profit
>she gives the 3 bars of latinum to cover the profits that the FCA knows about
>she is sold into indentured servitude, to Quark (or Rom, just to keep him involved and keep Quark from abusing the arrangement down the line) using money from her hidden assets
>the FCA has nothing left to go on, Quark's mother is safe in the loving care of her own family, and she still has virtually all of her assets, while Quark's assets (on paper) grow substantially, earning him considerable respect.
>Quark gets respect, his mother makes her point and keeps her assets, Rom brings the family together, and the FCA thinks it has done its job. Everybody wins.
Such a missed opportunity. Such a shame.