[The Man:] Will you tell him [The Boy] goodbye?

[The Woman:] No. I will not.

[The Man:] Just wait till morning. Please.

[The Woman:] I have to go.

She had already stood up.

[The Man:] For the love of God, woman. What am I to tell him?

[The Woman:] I cant help you.

[The Man:] Where are you going to go? You cant even see.

[The Woman:] I dont have to.

He stood up. I'm begging you, he said.

[The Woman:] No. I will not. I cannot. (93.25-93.35)

Ouch. The Boy's mother leaves without so much as a good-bye. We think this passage functions as a barometer of how bad things get in The Road. It's not that The Boy's mother is really cruel (OK, maybe she's a little cruel) but that the world now strikes her as incredibly hopeless. She chooses not to fight against that hopelessness. Of course, The Boy still has his father's love, but you can imagine the absence The Boy must feel because his mother leaves so suddenly.