Here Roth contrasts Leo with Mr. Patimkin. While Mr. Patimkin has been able to achieve wealth and progress for his family, Leo has not been able to find the same success. He has some of the same markers of the class divide as Neil does. While the Patimkins have many nice cars (symbols of the American dream), Leo is unable to afford a car for himself and must take long train rides. It is clear he finds this demoralizing, because it often leads him to drink. This contributes to his lack of optimism about the present and the future, and it fuels his nostalgia for prior times in which he had found true happiness.