# The Hobo Code

"The Hobo Code" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Chris Provenzano and directed by Phil Abraham. The episode originally aired on September 6, 2007, on the AMC channel in the United States.

## Plot

Peggy and Pete arrive early to work—Pete because he's moving into his new apartment later that day, and Peggy because she is nervous about the Belle Jolie meeting. Pete seduces Peggy and they have sex on an office sofa, then complains to her that his wife Trudy doesn't understand him. He also confesses that he never read the Belle Jolie copy, but she is relieved as she thought he didn't like it. Later, when Trudy unexpectedly visits Pete with a bottle of champagne, he is flustered and argues with her for showing up unannounced.
Out of the blue, Bert gives Don a check for $2,500, telling him that his talent is appreciated, and then urges him to read the book Atlas Shrugged. Later, Don presents Peggy's campaign ideas to the executives from Belle Jolie. The pitch emphasizes that a woman wants to "mark her man" and show the world she owns him. After some manipulation by Don, the pitch is accepted. Peggy is invited into Don's office to have a drink with the team to celebrate. All of the other office ladies are excited at Peggy's success except Joan, who implies that Peggy should focus on what she has "downstairs" for success. Nevertheless, they all go to a bar to celebrate and are joined by Sterling Cooper's junior executives.
At Peggy's celebration, she's very vivacious while Pete glares at her. When she asks him to dance The Twist, Pete rejects her for being forward and walks out, leaving her shocked. Meanwhile, Sal meets up with Belle Jolie executive Elliott at a restaurant, and the two men connect. However, when Elliott invites Sal back to his room, Sal remains too afraid to follow through on his attraction to men. Meanwhile, Don arrives at Midge's apartment, intending to take her on a trip to Paris with his bonus. However, he finds her with her beatnik friends, preparing to smoke marijuana. Don agrees to partake with them.
After getting high, Don retreats to the bathroom and flashes back to his childhood during the Great Depression. A hobo approaches his family, asking for food in exchange for work. Don's father Archie tells the man to move on, but his stepmother Abigail invites the man to stay for dinner. The hobo is revealed to be well-mannered and from New York City. Abigail offers him money, but Archie tells him he will get paid the next day. That night, Don approaches the man and asks about his life. The man tells him that he once had a family and responsibilities, but he gave it all up in exchange for the freedom of the road. Don tells the man that Abigail is not his real mother, and that he is a "whore-child." The man also shows Don the "hobo code." The next day, Archie refuses to pay him as promised, and as the hobo leaves the farm, Don finds the symbol for "a dishonest man" carved into a fence post in front of their home.
Back in the present, Don takes a Polaroid photo of Midge and her friend Roy and realizes the two are in love. They criticize Don for what he does—lying and worrying about trivialities while people die. Don invites Midge to Paris again, and when she turns him down, he signs over the check, suggesting she buy a car. Upon returning home, Don wakes his son Bobby while his sister Sally is asleep nearby, telling him that he can ask him anything he wants and promises never to lie to him. The next day, Peggy again arrives early to the office and searches for Pete. Later, Pete arrives but doesn't even glance at Peggy, leaving her hurt.

## First appearances

* Lois Sadler: the new switchboard operator of Sterling-Cooper who has a crush on Salvatore Romano.
* Archibald "Archie" Whitman: Abigail's first husband, Adam's biological father and Don/Dick's abusive biological father. An alcoholic farmer living in Depression-era Illinois.

## Final appearances

* Roy Hazelitt: a beatnik and secret lover of Midge who is also Don's romantic rival.

## Reception

The episode was received very positively by critics. Alan Sepinwall, writing for New Jersey's The Star-Ledger, praised the episode, specifically the subplot about Sal and Elliott, writing that the scene was "superb." Andrew Johnston, writing for Slant Magazine, called the episode "the most polished and, to my mind, the most moving episode of Mad Men yet."