The ultimate reckoning with inhumane U.S. capitalism John Steinbeck's last novel is a lesson about money and morality that is still valid today: His protagonist Ethan Hawley, foster child of the financial aristocracy of Long Island, does not have to worry about material things - until his father's bankruptcy suddenly forces him to stand on his own two feet. In order to feed his wife and children, he takes a low-paid job as a grocery store clerk. He quickly realizes, however, that an honest day's work will not get a man anywhere. Under the influence of his wife and his bank advisor, he discards all humanity and rises to become an unscrupulous businessman who seeks only his own advantage without regard for others.