For many years after leaving Ferenginar. Quark keeps his distance from his mother, sending her a generous monthly allowance but never visiting. When she later becomes the secret lover of the Gran Nagus Zek, Quark is at first delighted, but soon becomes appalled when he learns that his mother Ishka is trying to sway the older man to her feminist agenda. The worst moment in Quark's relationship with his mother comes when the Grand Nagus is expelled from Ferenginar; after Ishka has talked him into adding an amendment to the Ferengj Bill of Opportunities; giving females the right to wear clothes. Zek and Ishka escape to Deep Space Nine, but Quark's fury at his mother's meddling leads to her suffering a heart attack. 

Fractious relationships seem to run in Quark's family; his relationship with Rom, his younger brother, is equally argumentative. Quark takes great delight in belittling Rom both as his employee and his sibling. He even writes a clause into Rom's contract stating that he is responsible for everything that goes wrong in Quark's Bar. When Rom forms a union to protest at Quark's exploitation of his workers, he is forced to agree to their conditions. Later Rom has had enough of Quark, so quits to work as a diagnostic and repair technician on Deep Space Nine. Rom further upsets his brother when he marries the Dabo Girl called Leeta, the marriage ceremony has no bridal auction, no latinum dances, and, even more Quark is disgusted when the bride wears cloths 's .

Quark sees his young nephew Nog as some one he can control and manipulate. He engages the young Ferengi in schemes and uses the boy for menial work in his bar. Nog wants to join Starfleet Academy.  When Quark learns this, he refuses to encourage or support such an unprofitable action. Grand Nagus Zek orders Quark to assess the situation on the front lines during the Federation's war against the Dominion, and so Quark Joins Nog his nephew on a Starfleet mission. Despite himself, he wants to protect the young Ferengi he nearly comes to blows with Captain  Sisko over the decision to send Nog on such a dangerous mission. When Nog loses his leg in the fighting. Quark's deep concern for his nephew is apparent.

Quark vowed to never again let love, nor trust interfere with business. He mostly manages to abide by this promise, although, in later years, he does come close to breaking his vows. Following Quark's scandalous dismissal from his apprenticeship in his early life he spent eight years serving on a Ferengi trading vessel. To escape his shame at being caught out, he worked his passage throughout Ferengi space, and along its trading routes, as the ship's cook. He travels far beyond Ferenginar. Quark used his time on board the trading freighter wisely, steadily building up his savings of latinum, and planning for his financial security. Using what latinum he had earned to buy a Promenade establishment,  on the Cardassian space station known as Terok Nor, later to become Deep Space Nine. He called it, "Quark's Bar".  Quark was one of the few occupants of Terok Nor to prosper under the Cardassians.

Garak is nearly killed in an explosion that destroys his tailor shop. The explosion is linked to an assassination plot by Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order. This event leads many to believe that, Garak may have been at one time part of this secret intelligence group. Tain  is a hard and unforgiving man, whom Garak looked up to as mentor and friend. He would do anything for Tain, caring little about his own safety, in an attempt to impress the Obsidian Order leader, and gain his approval hardly surprising, when one considers that Enabran Tain is also Garak's father. Be it the significant part he played in the downfall and eventual execution of Gul Dukat's father, or his participation in the disastrous secret coalition with the Romulan. Tal Shiar, under Tain's command, Garak will do anything to look good in the eyes of his father. 

Even after his dismissal from the order, Garak carries a part of their philosophy within him at all times. As an active agent, he had a cranial implant embedded in his skull that releases endorphins into an operative's nervous system, rendering them almost impervious to pain. Garak still possesses the deadly skills he honed while a member of 'the Obsidian Order, but his sadistic fervour has been worn down by time and circumstances.  Deep Space Nine, now offers him something he never had before, a home and caring friends around him, there is little doubt that he has served Starfleet well.