Why do the Wallaces not have a car?

• A. When it broke down, they were forced to abandon it
• B. It was stolen during the night after they had parked it by the side of the road
• C. They had no money and were forced to resell it to a car dealer for ten dollars
• D. They no longer needed it, having abandoned their dream of work in California and deciding, instead, to work for Mr. Thomas

Answer: (C)

Poverty and the fragility of mobility during the Dust Bowl era are key ideas here. The Wallaces don’t keep the car because they literally have no money to keep it running or to survive; selling the car for a small amount to a dealer is their way to raise cash to keep moving toward California.

The text shows that they’re so strapped for cash that liquidating the car for ten dollars is their only option. That tiny sum highlights how devalued their possessions are for a family on the road and why the car disappears from their journey. The other scenarios don’t fit what the narrative conveys: there’s no indication the car broke down and forced abandonment, no theft story, and they aren’t described as giving up on their plans to work elsewhere in order to work for someone else.