We can't let these Okies get out of hand. And the great owners . Every little means, every violence, every raid on a Hooverville, every deputy swaggering through a ragged camp put off the day a little and cemented the inevitability of the day. The lower class will rise up, one day, and equalize the distribution, and the more violently they have been kept down, the more sure that day is to come. Steinbeck also uses the plot as social commentary by personalizing these plights with characters, as opposed to blank masses.
Repetition is used very effectively in The Grapes of Wrath.
It represented many things, and forced the reader to contemplate. The various writing techniques that Steinbeck used in the Grapes of Wrath brought out the message he wanted to get across. The corollary chapters put the story in perspective, helping the reader understand the context of the events. The two types of social commentary gave each of them added weight. And finally, the use of repetition gave the whole book a sense of continuity.