On The Road, Ch. 4~10

Chapter 4

"They had no cigarettes. I squandered my pack on them, I loved them so. They were grateful and gracious. They never asked. I kept offering."

I think this moment of the chapter is significant, because it shows that the narrator values alot of interpersonal interactions. Through out the road trip, he had shown his compassion toward his road companions such as the way he offered the whiskey and cigarettes. I feel this shows a part of reason why the narrator would travel so far to meet his friends in Denver.

Question: In chapter 8, why would Dean and Carlo talk to each other in a very abstract way? Is it really like the narrator said that they are "manics" ? Or, are they talking in this way, because they know Sal has been listening and trying to hide something from him?