The theme of the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" is class conflict and money. John Steinbeck says that money is the only thing people really care about, society is controlled by pieces of paper and metal that represent an invented thing called money. Furthermore, when the poor are ruthlessly driven off their land by those who own property and only seek to own more property, class conflict also becomes a major problem. Life becomes a battle between the haves and the have-nots. The conflict spread as migrants sought a better life in California. Landowners found them a source of cheap labor and a way to maximize their profits. Steinbeck writes, “The woman will sniff as if she smelled rotten meat and they will go out again and say forever that the people of the West are sullen” (Steinbeck 212). This quote shows how people who have money disrespect the lower class and how they think they are better than them just because of money. Mae can tell just by the way they act and the car they drive that they'll act like this, that's how ...