They often came in tens of thousands with their entire family, hungry, destitute and scared to New England and to Lowell, in particular, seeking a better life and a sense of independence. Here, they found some respite, true, but the physical and psychological price, which they grudgingly paid, left a permanent scare on their character, that Jack Kerouac tentatively explored in his novels.
Some of the associated stories are retold in this section.
