And... In what ways do Hal, Charles, and Mercedes show their shallowness, incompetence, and cruelty in the way they treat the dogs?
Call of the Wild Chapter 5 :)
Two other men from a neighboring camp warn them that the sled is too heavy, but they will not listen. The team cannot move the sled. They are repeatedly whipped by Hal, as Mercedes cries over them. Buck does not like her, but tolerates her pleading pats. When the sled finally moves, it falls on it's side.
http://www.gradesaver.com/call-of-the-wild/study-guide/summary-chapter-5-the-toil-of-trace-and-trail
Hal and Charles are the typical greenhorns who do not believe the advice of the experienced men who travel and work in the Yukon. They think they know better than anyone who has lived there for years; they think maybe someone is trying to get ahead and get the gold from them. They do not feed the dogs properly; the make them travel too hard without proper rest or care and they ultimately drown with their team because they are too stubborn to take good advice from the "old timers."
