Chapter 9, Grapes of Wrath

In Chapter Nine, the sale of the farmers' belongings is a demeaning process, for they must accept ridiculously low prices for their now-useless possessions. Steinbeck is explicit about the meaning of the sales: he states that "you're not buying only junk, you're buying junked lives." This is yet another example of the dehumanizing effects of the Depression foreclosures. The situation is hopeless: there is no possibility of starting over, because the people who are leaving are now imbued with bitterness and loss. They must even give up out of simple necessity those objects that have sentimental value -- yet another example of the loss of human individuality and personal attachment.