Charley
Okay, so, yes, Charley is treated as pseudo-human—and, as such, a character in his own right—but he also has considerable symbolic heft. In fact, Charley's ability to do double-duty as a human...
Rocinante
To carry him through the U.S. in style, Steinbeck commissions a special truck with a little house on the back so that he can bring everything he might need and be able to sleep back there, if neede...
Submarines
Although they only appear once in the story, submarines are an early sign that Steinbeck is pretty interested in the Cold War and focused on the anxieties of that time in America. Steinbeck spots t...