The Chrysanthemums

I've always been highly impressed with John Steinbeck's ability to portray realistic human behavior (not to mention his accuracy with depicting settings and scenery). It's common for people to manipulate other people after picking up on their vulnerabilities. The tinker in the story talks Elisa into giving him tinkering business after feeding her self-image which she unfortunately lacks because of her mundane life and existence. He found that the secret to her self-worth was to simply complement her flowers and make up some BS about it just butter her up. Although she is reluctant to give this man business, she ends up doing so because this man has found her soft-spot.

This is easily believable because it happens everyday in all aspects of life. One example is in the work place. If you have a higher up who seems to appreciate your work as opposed to a boss who doesn't have any idea that you exist other than having to sign your check... the employee will almost always choose the appreciative boss.