"I can’t send ’em away," she said. "I don’t know what to do. Take your plates an’ go inside. I’ll let ’em have what’s lef’. Here, take a plate in to Rosasharn." She smiled up at the children.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 20. Ma Joad shows that she is generous to a fault, when she learns that some children in the migrant camp have had no breakfast. After serving her family with small portions of stew on tin plates, she saves the rest for the hungry children. In sharing the Joads’ meagre resources, Ma acts as mother to all the children. This is in keeping with the idea of community responsibility and Emerson’s "Over-Soul."