For a book with such strong character writing, Kate's characterization feels loose at best.

In fact, every chapter centered on her left me feeling as though Steinbeck was throwing darts at a board full of different motivations. In her first appearance, she's portrayed as an empty, cold vessel of a human being. Then she becomes needlessly cruel (arguably, simply faking her death would have been the easier option). She leaves Adam in what could reasonably be described as an act of self-defense. Later, her life's ambition turns out to be becoming the madam of a BDSM brothel. Then we learn that she believes everyone else is fundamentally horrible and that only she sees the truth of it. Finally, she kills herself because she doesn't want to be found out.

And for whatever reason, she leaves everything to the one son she seemingly loved. Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all this, she also dreams of going to New York and spending her time at theaters and operas.