"Pa, some fellas was talkin’ about Tom, an’ they says he’s parole’. An’ they says that means he can’t go outside the State, or if he goes, an’ they catch him, they send ‘im back for three years."
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 10. Al Joad has overheard some men talking about his brother Tom. They are saying that he has been paroled, which means he cannot travel outside the state, and if he does he will be send back to prison for three years. With the family migrating to California, Tom has an important choice to make – does he go with them and risk going back to jail.