Peculiarly, neither ever asked "Whose job is this?" or asserted "That is not my responsibility!" (Para. 13)
Meaning: Strangely, neither the husband nor the wife asked "Whose job is this?" or declared forcefully "That is not my responsibility!"
Notice that this sentence describes the couple as caring and helpful to each other as they did not give their responsibilities to the other.
peculiarly: ad. 1) strangely
Peculiarly, the dog has three legs. 奇怪的是，這條狗只有三條腿。
Please seize the man. He has been hanging around my store all day and acting peculiarly. 請把那個人抓起來。他在我店四周游逛了一整天，行為異樣。
2) especially
This book is peculiarly difficult. 這本書特別難。
assert: vt. declare forcefully
Sandy's mother asserts that it's not healthy to eat standing up. 桑迪的母親斷言，站著吃飯不衛(wèi)生。
The judge asserts that he is not at fault. 法官宣布他無罪。
responsibility: n. duty; condition or quality of being mature
I take full responsibility for this action. 我對這次行動負(fù)全部責(zé)任。
Her responsibility is to look after the children. 她的責(zé)任是照看孩子。