How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #7
An apathy had fallen on the men. They sat staring in front of them. They seemed not to have the energy to talk, and among them the bedraggled, discontented women sat. They were listless and stale. They gnawed thoughtfully at their meat, and when it was finished, wiped their hands on their clothes. The air was full of their apathy, and full of their discontent. (137)
No matter what experience Mac has had with mobs of workers, he can't quite seem to figure this particular group out. They're manic in their moods, shooting into violent ecstasy at the slightest provocation and then plunging into despair at the drop of a hat. He's finding it hard to stabilize his own emotions with such a crew, especially when he honestly feels that they could be victorious if they could keep their eyes on the prize rather than focus on their own personal misery.
Quote #8
"I was in the army in the war. Just out of school. They'd bring in one of our men with his chest shot away, and they'd bring in a big-eyed German with his legs splintered off. I worked on 'em just as though they were wood. But sometimes, after it was all over, when I wasn't working, it made me unhappy, like this. It made me lonely." (198)
Doc is having an extra hard time coping with this particular bunch of workers. Though he claims to participate in these shindigs to observe firsthand and try to get the big picture, it also seems that he's looking at the workers to figure out where he belongs. He's not one of them, but he also seems not to belong in his own life. This leaves Doc dispirited, unable to see any purpose to the actions of the workers or to his own continued efforts to keep them together physically.
Quote #9
"London ain't done nothing. Just walks around lookin' big. Know what a guy told me? London's got cases an' cases of can' goods in his tent—ever'thing. Corn-beef, an' sardines, an' can' peaches. He won't eat what us poor stiffs got to eat, not him. He's too God damn good." (235)
When a worker in the camp sounds off to Jim (in the toilets, no less), he's just about ready to take the guy's head off. He knows that London is a good person, even if his leadership skills have been a little bit subdued. So while the worker has the perfect motivation to pin his unhappiness on London, it's also incredibly irritating to Jim to hear such an ignorant opinion of his friend. It's a no-win situation, dividing the camp in its loyalties. It's exactly what the Growers want—to sow discontent so that the workers unleash their angry energy on each other rather than on them.