The man tells his son that he's scared because he's the one who has to worry about everything. The boy cries for the thief, but his father tells him to stop. Then the man and the boy leave the thief in the road - alone, naked, and starving. The man forces the thief to pile his clothes and shoes on the cart. The thief tells the man to listen to the boy, who's begging his father to let the man be. The boy begs his father not to kill the thief, but the man responds by saying that's what the thief was doing to them - killing them by stealing all that they had.
The man tells the thief to step back from the cart and take off all of his clothes, even his shoes.
He holds a butcher knife in his hand, but steps back when the man raises his gun at him. His clothes are ragged, the fingers of his right hand have been cut off, and he's filthy. It's a single man, an outcast from one of the communes. By the time they overtake the thief, it is dusk. The boy sees some sand and they follow it. He and the boy race up to the road and try to find traces of sand so that they can see in which direction the thief, or thieves, headed. The man is beside himself, calling himself a stupid ass. They reach their campsite and everything is gone: the cart, their food, the tarp, blankets, and shoes. One day they come back to the camp and the man sees boot prints in the sand. They eat large meals and work to get their stores down to a level that will make travel a bit easier for them on the road. The man and boy spend two more days at the beach.
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