Later in the novel, he even lead a group of bandits who robbed and killed people. Consequently, he and his meddlesome wife raised a rude, lazy son who only brought dishonor to his family. The family of Wang Lung’s uncle, who are nothing but lazy and dishonest people, are not rewarded and instead receive nothing but dissatisfaction. The novel makes a clear distinction between the benefits gained by living a life of diligence and honesty to that of living one of negligence and duplicity. In The Good Earth, hard work and virtue are rewarded, while idleness and vice are not.
In this novel, Wang Lung, O-lan, and Ching are examples of how diligence and honesty are rewarded with prosperity and fulfillment. All three characters demonstrate many virtues throughout the novel, for instance, Wang Lung displays diligence. All his life, Wang Lung woke up before dawn and cared for his land and his father. Year after year,