They were afraid, now that the time had come – afraid in the same way Grampa was afraid.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 10. Now that the time has come for the Joads to leave for California, the reality has finally hit them and they are gripped by fear. The rest of the family appear to have been infected by Grampa Joad’s uncertainly about migrating west. There is a sense of foreboding here, a foreshadowing that their troubles are not yet over.