tom banicek, who has a cousin in new york, meets him on ellis island and translates for him when recruiters for the staunton mining company based in virginia try to employ him. despite his cousin telling him that he would be poorly paid, would live in company housing which he would have to vacate if he ever left and that he could be fired for even mentioning joining a union, tom says that he doesn't have a lot of choices for employment and that the conditions would be better than in the austro-hungarian army which was the reason he came to america because he wants to avoid conscription.