Our heroes dig into East of Eden and particularly the Hamilton family in this spoiler-filled episode. 

First they discuss their extreme admiration for prophet/poet/closet-drunk/all-around-good-guy Samuel Hamilton—and for Steinbeck for creating and sustaining him. Then they find that they all have a lot of affection for Liza Hamilton too, fearsome though she be.

They talk about what type of home the Hamiltons had, what lessons we can learn as parents, and why bad sons sometimes happen to good dads. Finally, Jake and Brandon both rhapsodize on the sweetness and joy of fatherhood, as Nathan no doubt looks on with silent envy and despair (it's a podcast though, so you can't tell one way or another).