In Pygmalion, what traits of the poor flower seller's mentality are shown in Act 1?

Dictionaries give two distinct meanings to the word
"mentality" the origin of which is an English derivation dating from 1690 that combines
"mental" with the abstract noun forming suffix -ity, which
indicates a state or condition. The first meaning is mental power, endowment, or
capability. The second meaning is one's mode of thought, one's turn or cast of mind, how
one's view or outlook is set. In relation to The Flower Girl in Act 1 of
Pygmalion, the second meaning promises to be the more interesting,
though information provides enlightenment on the first meaning as
well.

The Flower Girl, according to the first meaning of
natural mental endowment and capabilities, is shown to be rational and intelligent.
Though spoken in an almost impossible to decipher dialect, her remark to the Mother is
telling of significant mental endowment and capability. She says (in
translation),

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"Oh, he's your son, is he? Well, if you would
have done your duty by him as a mother should, he would known better than to spoil a
poor girl's flowers and then run away without
paying."

This speech includes
a tag question ("your son, is he?") which indicates (1) a question posed within a
statement and (2) recognition of an ironic situation and (3) an opportunity for
recouping her losses.

Her long subordinated "if/then"
statement ("if you ..., he would ... paying.") is a third conditional that describes an
unreal situation from the past that has impossible consequences in the future or
present: If you had taught him, which you didn't, then he would be good, which he isn't,
and he would not have run off, which he did. The same sentence also indicates complex
cause and effect, showing two effects from one cause ("if you ..."/cause; "he would know
..."/effect; "without paying"/effect). It also shows complex organization of
chronological sequence that combines past ("you had"), future ("he would"), and present
("without paying") in the same complex third
conditional.

Finally, she follows this persuasive
conditional argument up with a direct appeal, which is half appeal and half challenge,
to recoup her losses (in translation): "Will you pay me for them?" The conclusion is
that The Flower Girl's mentality (meaning one) shows an acute endowment and more than
ample capability: in other words, she's very
intelligent.

The Flower Girl, according to the second
meaning of turn of mind and set, or cast, of one's views and outlook, is shown to have a
high moral character and regard for the law, about which she is knowledgeable, as well
as an acute fearfulness owing to society's strictures on poor persons even appearing to
step out of a respectfully subservient role.

First, her
moral character is demonstrated in her truthful insistence that she is "a good girl" and
in her rightful reprimand of Freddy's mother for his callous disregard of moral and
legal right. Next, her high regard for the law is demonstrated in her repeated citations
of legal principles pertaining to her rights as a flower seller, for example, not sell
on the "kerb," not talk to gentlemen except to sell flowers. Her fearfulness of
society's strictures, legal and cultural, is demonstrated by her wailings and moanings,
which are caused by the thought that a "copper's nark" might be taking her "words down."
This further points out her natural and keen sense human dignity as she asserts her
dignity in claiming her words as her own.