Just like Tom Joad, Jeannette Walls must learn the power of community and its importance on perseverance. However, in the Glass Castle, the aspiration for a better life leads children to achieve unimaginable goals. “He took the plans of the Glass Castle everywhere we went, and sometimes he took them out and left us to work on designing our rooms. . . (Walls 25). This desire to lead a more promising and fulfilling life is a direct result of the abusive living conditions in which Jeannette grew up. In this, the Glass Castle differs from the unfortunately difficult life of the Joads in Grapes of Wrath. “No child is born delinquent. They only became that way if no one loved them when they were kids. Unloved children become serial murderers or alcoholics. . . (Walls 83). With this realization, Jeannette learns that she must strive to escape the metaphorical world.