Chapters 16-17

This section only consists of two chapters because they were so long, yet nothing extraordinary happened. The Joads and Wilsons are now travelling together. During the drive, Al is driving the Wilsons' car, and Ma and Rose of Sharon are sitting next to him. Rose of Sharon begins to talk about what it will be like in California, and she says how she wants to live in town where Connie, her husband, can study nights, something like radio. They can have their baby in a hospital, have their own house, and everything will be picture perfect.
Then, as they are driving down the highway, the Wilsons' car breaks down for the second time. Tom has the idea that him and Al can stay behind and fix it while the rest of the family keeps heading west to California, and they will meet them there. Ma does not like this idea at all and refuses to do this. So instead, the family, except for Al, Tom, and Casy, travel to a small campsite that is 50 cents a day and has water. Tom and Al go to the nearest town to find a bearing and other needed supplies, while Casy stays back with the car. They reach a sort of shed building, and a man with only one eyes walks out. Tom tells the man about how they need to find parts for their car so they can keep going, and the man tells them that they can take anything that they want because his boss is a "son-of-a-bitch." He uses this phrase repetitively to describe his boss. Tom and Al get the parts that they need and drive back to the car where Casy is waiting patiently.
Back at the camp, Pa talks to a somewhat friendly man and tells him that he is heading to California with his family to look for work. The man laughs at him and tells him that he will never find work in California. Pa worries about what the man says, but Casy calms him and tells him that he shouldn't worry.