Atticus comments that Mayella Ewell has accused Tom Robinson of assault and in order to get rid of her own guilt. He says that guilt motivated her because she broke a "time-honored code" of society. The code that Atticus is referring to deals with interracial relations. In 1930s Alabama, it was socially unacceptable for a white person to have relations with a black person.
Sensory language is the words writers use to create images. Vivid imagery helps us see, smell, and feel the scene. The highlighted phrases help put you right in the midst of the field.
