The novel narrates how, after Ona's father passed away in Lithuania, the family decided to sell their farm. They handed over two-thirds of their inheritance to a local magistrate to prevent total loss. At this juncture, Ona's brother, Jonas, suggested they move to America. He had heard about a friend who supposedly found wealth there, although it later becomes clear that this friend earns only a modest living with his Chicago deli. Jurgis Rudkus fails to consider that while wages in America are higher, so is the cost of living. However, the prospect of wealth was less critical in their decision than the promise of social equality. The book illustrates their belief: "In (America), rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to public officials,—he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other men. So America was a place of which lovers and young people dreamed." The novel's central theme explores this group's realization that the American Dream of wealth and freedom is a mirage. They are not free to do as they wish; instead, they are engulfed by the struggle to meet financial demands, which ultimately destroys them both physically and morally. A stark illustration is Ona, who is forced into prostitution to ensure her family retains their hazardous, soul-crushing jobs at the packing house. One of the most compelling aspects of the American Dream has always been the promise of land ownership, symbolizing freedom. Yet, this too is stripped from the Rudkus family when they lose their home and all their investments after missing a few payments. Eventually, Jurgis learns that socialism offers him more prosperity and freedom than the competitive American system, as it emphasizes the welfare of everyone instead of pitting the rich against the poor.