What changes with Ona?

Elzbieta and Ona become silent most of the time, too tired to speak. They are both sick and miserable from their work. They are “so numbed that they [do] not even suffer much from hunger.” Often, they remember what life had been like before, and their souls cry out in agony. They had dreamed of freedom in America, but now they cannot even see their child grow up to be strong. Ona sometimes cries about it at night, but Jurgis is tired and cross. She learns to weep silently.