Josh and Joey say goodbye to their carnival friends. Pete Harris gives Josh an extra two dollars to go with the 18 he has saved. Josh no longer resents Pete for his relationship with Emily: “I could accept Pete Harris now. I could accept many things […]” (104). Josh and Emily share warm farewells. She tells him she’ll always wish the best for him, and Josh responds that he’ll “always think well” (105) of her. Edward C., who is too depressed over the boys’ leaving to say goodbye in person, sends a heartfelt note saying how much he appreciated their friendship.

Josh and Joey head for Nebraska to reconnect with Lonnie. While hitchhiking, the boys meet men who express anger at the government. A truck driver who picks them up declares that the starving masses “must rise against men in high office” (106). At a campfire along a railroad track, another man rants sarcastically about the government’s incompetence: “They call it a democracy, don’t they? People starve, people freeze, people tear their hearts out. But they’re living in a democracy. And that’s enough, isn’t it?” (108).

The boys hitch a ride from a man in a shiny black Cadillac.