- Thoroughly demoralized by what he just saw, Steinbeck got a sandwich and headed out of town.
- He found a resting place and stopped, and soon a man came walking along. They struck up a conversation about all the racial tensions and the state of things generally, as well as the future of the South.
- After they parted, Steinbeck hit the road again. He offered a ride to an African American hitchhiker he saw along the way.
- However, the companionship didn't last long after Steinbeck tried to start a conversation about racial tensions. The man pretended he was close to home and asked to be let out, but then Steinbeck saw that he just kept walking—apparently he had just wanted to get out because he felt super-awkward about their convo.
- That night, he had trouble sleeping, as he was still thinking about everything that had happened and what he'd seen.
- The next day, while sitting at a lunch counter eating a hamburger, he got into a conversation with the guy sitting next to him. The guy asked Steinbeck for a ride, since he was headed in the same direction.
- Once again, the companionship didn't last too long once the subject of racial tensions came up. Steinbeck bristled when the guy praised the Cheerleaders, and things went downhill from there. Soon enough, Steinbeck was ordering the man out of his truck.
- Later, he picked up another passenger, who was an African American student. Finally, Steinbeck had the civil discussion about the political climate that he'd been hoping for, and he relays the young man's reflections.