Tom is, as I'm sure every reader should be, heartbroken over Casy's death. Casy was his only real friend since leaving prison, the first person he had truly bonded with. Tom was so attached to Casy that after the policeman hit his head with a pickaxe, he went to do the same to his murderer in a fit of hatred, without really thinking about it. This also reflects how far Tom is willing to go for his friends and family. Tom begins his journey with Casy as a disciple of sorts, and, in chapter 28, tells Ma some of Casy's final thoughts, about how a man's soul is only a part of a greater soul, which includes the whole world. Tom plans to spread Casy's sermons to every person he meets to keep Casy's spirit alive and organize people, because that would be what he would have wanted if he had time to proclaim a dying wish. I predict that in the final chapters, Steinbeck will allude to Tom's growth and renewal as a better person, moving forward despite all he has lost to follow in his friend Casy's footsteps and share stories of a better future with others....