Grapes of wrath kills me. help please?

Question

in chapter 16, what is significant about the conversation between tom and the "one-eyed man"?

and what is the significance of the ragged man/ why do they refuse to believe him?

Answer 1

the one-eyed guy is the one who tells them that despite what they see on the handouts and hear from other people moving to California, there isn't any work out there left for anyone, and that his family moved there to find work his wife starved and died and so did his kids.

and they don't believe him because they need to cling on to the hope of a new and better life

Answer 2

sparknotes.com

It got me through that piece of c**p and got me a B in AP American Lit. Know it, use it, love it.