Chapter six takes the reader back to the scene of Tom Joad and Reverend Jim Casy at the house of Joad's family. They investigate the house, look around, and find out that something major had to have happened in order for the Joad family to just leave. Also they realize that the entire place is deserted; his family, neighbors, and friends were all gone from their homes. As Tom and Casy think about what happened to the land, they meet another character.
Tom Joad sees Muley Graves, a half-crazed man still fighting the bank, sherrifs, and other men for his land. Steinbeck characterizes Muley Graves as what many homeless people were called back then, a hobo. He wears dirty, torn, and worn-out clothing, carries a gunny sack, and sneaks around with a scowl like a mysterious child who is up to no good. Muley is ragged, with akward movements, and seems to be mentally changed from the incident.
Muley brings out the messier side in young Tom Joad; Tom feels much more at ease with Muley and seems to conform to his sloppier ways at night. The two men finally find out what had happened to the land and Tom Joad's family in particular. Because of Muley's story, Tom and Jim Casy want to leave for Tom's family, but they are stopped by a certain gang of sherrifs, men, and lights. Living the life of Muley for a brief moment in time, the men realize the new gloomy life that awaits many of the travelers who were kicked out of their homes.
John Steinbeck gives a sense of panic and anxiousness to the chapter with the character of Muley. He also brings back a historical sense in that Muley represents many of the poor people who were left homeless from the foreclosure of their homes. He is also viewed as the people who were not accepting of the terrible incident and either turned to violence or could not just deal with it at all. This meeting leads into a darker and more desperate theme of the book, which is developed in the later chapters.
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