"Stacy I. Morgan also alludes to the ways in which the brothers' mind-set has shifted upon migrating to the North.Their vastly increased income in the North allows them new opportunities and multiple ways to spend their new capital, emphasizing instant gratification "

Morgan also notes that the Moss brothers' fear in the train scene, during which their inability to see each other fills each brother with a terrifying sense of isolation, may be Attway's way of highlighting an issue that confronted many who moved during the Great Migration