Chapters 1-2: Meeting Tom Joad

I think that the truck driver instantly knew that Tom had just come from prison, he just chose to not say anything about it. He did not want to come across as a judgmental person who felt that he had more self-worth than a hitchhiker. During the time period that this book is set in, the wealthy viewed the situation of the dust bowl/Great Depression as sort of every man for himself. On the flip side, the poor looked at the rich with the mentality that they should be assisting those that were less fortunate than them during this time in order to bring the country out of this economic turmoil. Tom Joad looked at the sticker in the driver's window and saw it as a way of the more fortunate (those with transportation) to keep the less fortunate (hitchhikers) "under control" in a way. By under control, I mean that the stickers would prevent the hitchhikers from wasting the companies truck driver's time by having to stop to pick up and drop off their passengers. When the driver breaks his company's rules, he is breaking the vision that most have of those that are better off than them. The driver knows that Tom was recently released from jail, but he also knows that he does not want to come across as a kiss ass that sucks up to the boss man. By doing this, it proves that no matter the circumstance, people are always capable of doing the right choice, even though it may not seem to be a smart choice.