Explain the confusion around the tobacco

Jody's body is melting away, literally. Jody is critical of Janie's body to draw attention away from his own. One day Steve Mixon wanted some chewing tobacco and Janie cuts it wrong. Steve makes a good natured joke about it and Jody gets angry. He hurries across from the post office and takes the plug of tobacco away from Mixon re-cutting it exactly on the mark. Then he publicly admonishes Janie.