Tom admires and respects Mr. Oakhurst because of Mr. Oakhurst's skills and kindness. They meet again, and it makes Mr. Oakhurst change his mind immediately from leaving the group of outcasts that have been exiled from Poker Flat. Mr. Oakhurst has no reason to stay any longer with the outcasts, because he has no relationship with them and they are "throwing up their hand before the game was played out," meaning, the outcasts give up and are not interested in a group survival (par. 9). However, Tom's addition changes everything. Tom is the reason Mr. Oakhurst no longer wishes to leave the group, because Tom is his motivation. Tom always respects and believes in Mr. Oakhurst without doubting him or asking any questions about the group. Normally, people would ask for the reason of leaving the town and wonder who others in their group are. However, Tom quietly stays with the group and follows them until the end, without knowing the truth of the group being outcasts and exiled from Poker Flat.
Even though he gets exiled, Mr. Oakhurst shows off his calmness, kindness, and courageousness to his group. Mr. Oakhurst volunteers to guard the group while others sleep, and he chooses to protect Tom from discovering the corruptness of this banished group. Now, Mr. Oakhurst does not intend to destroy Tom's beautiful dream of finding Poker Flat, the place Tom and Piney, Tom's love, want to find happiness. Both of them believe that Poker Flat would be their new shelter, where their marriage would be approved. In order to keep their dream of Poker Flat alive, Mr. Oakhurst makes up a story about Uncle Billy, a member of the outcast group, who steals most of the provisions and all the mules for himself and runs away, leaving the group in a state of crisis. Mr. Oakhurst wants to keep the outcast issue as a secret to Tom and Piney; he does not want to frighten them. He only wants to protect them and brings them out of this deathly mountain covering in white snow and cold winds.