In Cormac McCarthy's book The Road, the two main characters struggle to move forward. Their motivation to move forward is found at the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs; which are physiological, safety and emotional. Each of the levels is equally important for man to achieve self-realization. To reach the highest level, however, man must first reach the lower levels. The physiological level, which is at the base of the pyramid, must be realized first to reach the highest level of self-realization. Some of the needs at this level are food, water, air, shelter and sleep. These certain needs are what the man and boy are looking for throughout the book. In the lower level of As the two travel, they begin to run out of food. They find bits and pieces to eat as they go, but not enough to last long. Until, however, they find plenty of food in an abandoned house (McCarthy 138). While foraging for food, they encounter or see other humans. Some of these humans are not the same as man and boy. They are, however, cannibals. The need for food pushed them to an unspeakable act of cannibalism. The other person they see is a normal human being trying to survive. The very altruistic boy wants to help others and share his food. Unfortunately, man knows that the more people there are in his group, the less food he will have and the less chance of life (Bo 32). The need for water is not any easier to realize. Fresh, sanitary water is not something you don't find very often in Cormac McCarthy's book. The man and the boy must drink water from shallow, almost empty lakes. Which must be filtered before consuming. Later in their journey, they find water to drink from a trap door (McCarthy 122). While these circumstances may not be ideal for any human being, the two have no choice if they wish