Casy and Tom leave for Uncle John's house at daybreak. While walking, Tom describes Uncle John to Casy, coloring him as a lonely, somewhat touched older man. As Tom and Casy approach John's property, they see the family preparing for their trip west. Tom surprises Pa as he works on the truck. Pa's first concern is that "Tommy" has broken out. Assured that he is on parole, Pa decides they should surprise Ma who is preparing breakfast.
Ma is overjoyed to see Tom, but instantly worried that prison has made him "mean" and full of hate. He reassures her that it has not, and after searching his eyes, she can see that he is telling the truth. Tom is angry that they have been forced from their home, but Ma cautions him that he can't fight the bank alone. She figures that if everybody got mad together, they couldn't be put down, but everyone seems lost and dazed. Adrift and directionless, they are unable to band together to fight with a common purpose.
Tom is reunited with more family members at breakfast. Granpa and Granma are excited to see Tom. Behind them is Noah, the eldest son, who is quiet and slow. At Granma's insistence, Casy says grace over the meal, although he explains he is no longer a preacher. In his prayer, he says that holiness is when all people are working together, not focused on their individual desires. Tom asks after the rest of the family members and learns that his younger brother, Al, is out chasing girls, and Rose of Sharon, his younger sister, is now married to a neighboring boy, Connie Rivers. She is in the early stages of her first pregnancy. The two youngest Joads, 10-year-old Winfield and 12-year-old Ruthie, have gone to Sallisaw with Uncle John to sell a load of household belongings. Once everything has been sold, they will have about $150 for the trip. Within a day or two, the family plans to leave for the west.
