Hobos during the Great Depression were typically penniless men who traveled by hopping freight trains to find work, as they owned nothing but what they carried. With many people struggling financially during this era, hobos met other travelers as they moved around the country looking for income opportunities. Life as a hobo was difficult due to their lack of money and home, but it allowed them to experience different places and interact with diverse groups of people also affected by the economic hardships of the time.