What is the theme in Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell?

Another theme in the story is the futility of life. Life requires some work from the person living it. People are expected to make a home, pay their bills, and love their family. However, the family in this novel seems to have given up on the effort life takes. Jeeter believes he was born to work the land. Jeeter's father was a bad business man and died in debt, causing Jeeter to have to sell the family land to pay off the debts. This created a situation in which Jeeter became a sharecropper to the new owner.