21-25

The Joad family moves in to the local government camp to stay and begin to realize how nice of a place it is. Tom enjoys the camp because no cops are allowed in without a warrant. The camp also has warm running water and toilets for the families. Tom finds a job from a couple of neighbors, but the wage is dropped from 30 cents to 25 because of the farmer's association and the bank of the west. Ruthie and Winfield have a memorable experience when they use a toilet for the first time. Winfield flushes it on accident and thinks that he broke the toilet and starts to panic. Ma informed the two children that the toilet is meant to flush and that nothing is broken. The camp is run by a committee that makes all rules and decides on punishments for certain actions, so the Joad's are introduced to the committee members. There is also a lady’s committee that helps to watch the children while the mothers are working during the day. A local woman comes by the Joad camp and informs Rose of Sharon that there are local dances every Saturday night, but they are full of sinners that dance more than just a square dance. She tells Roseasharn that she has seen a few women that have lost their babies because of this and that she better watch out. Ma tells her not to worry and she has a conversation with the woman and tells her to stay away from her daughter. On one dance night the locals are informed that the cops are sending in decoys to start a fight, so they can bust the camp. The committee prepares for the fighters and catches them before anything gets out of hand.