In Among the Hidden, how does Jen describe the city?

In Among the Hidden, Jen describes the city as boring.

Both Jen and Luke are the third children in their families, which means that they have to hide from the Population Police. In the story, Luke is aghast when Jen tells him that she regularly visits the mall with her mother. Jen explains that the backseat of her parents' car is hollowed out: her father had it custom-built so that she could hide during...

In Among the Hidden, Jen describes the city as boring.

Both Jen and Luke are the third children in their families, which means that they have to hide from the Population Police. In the story, Luke is aghast when Jen tells him that she regularly visits the mall with her mother. Jen explains that the backseat of her parents' car is hollowed out: her father had it custom-built so that she could hide during road trips. 

On this particular foray into the city, Jen rode in the hollowed out backseat for two hours. At the mall, she presented her forged shopping pass, identifying her as her mother's niece. Jen jokes that she may end up dead if the Population Police detect the forgery during a roadside stop.

Luke is flabbergasted at the risk Jen took. However, he is genuinely perplexed when Jen describes the city as an extremely boring place. To Jen, the city is boring because it is associated with shopping at malls. Since Jen finds shopping to be a boring activity, she concludes that the city is a boring place to visit.