When the priest is not sure that Kino believes what he has said about Kino being named for a great man, he tells Kino, “It is in the books.” Later, the doctor tells Kino that he has the knowledge necessary to be certain that Coyotito will recover from the scorpion sting, and Kino realizes that the doctor might be telling the truth. How does Kino feel when these men suggest that they know things that he does not know? How are Kino’s hopes for his son tied to those feelings?

After Kino finds the Pearl of the World, news of his discovery and fortune quickly spreads to the town, and the town's priest visits Kino, Juana, and Coyotito. Whenever the priest tells Kino that he is named after a great Father of the Church and that it is written in the books, Kino looks at his son and thinks that someday Coyotito will know the things inside of books. Whenever the doctor visits, he claims that he has the medicine that will heal Coyotito, and Kino cannot be certain if the doctor is lying or telling the truth. Steinbeck writes,

"And he [Kino] could not take the chance of putting his certain ignorance against this man's possible knowledge. He was trapped as his people were always trapped, and would be until, as he had said, they could be sure that the things in the books were really in the books" (15).

Kino's feelings of uncertainty regarding the knowledge he does not have manifest into feelings of anger and injustice. Kino resents the fact that his people have never been offered an education and are not literate. Kino is also aware of the power of knowledge and understands that his people will never be in an advantageous position of authority until they are educated. However, Kino is hopeful about the future and believes that his son will receive an education and someday be able to understand the things inside of books.