Like the landowners, the tractor man is part of a system that is far beyond his control. Juat as the tenant farmers are powerless to resist the tractor man, the tractor man is powerless to oppose the harms he's doing; if he sides with his people, he'll lose his livelihood and be quickly replaced by someone else willing to do the dirty work to keep his family alive. Humanity, in the Grapes of wrath, the most brutal adversity the Joads face doesn't come from the unforgiving natural conditions of the dustbowl. Rather, the Joads and the Okie communiity recieve the cruelest treatment from those most capable of helping them. More fortunate individuals, typical ones who wield institutional
