Ups and downs characterized the U.S. economy during recovery from the Depression. In this cartoon, Herblock draws attention to the fear of inflation resulting from President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal economic recovery reforms. Figures representing the rising prices of 1935 clamber up a ladder over a trapped figure who objects loudly on behalf of consumers caught short by increased costs of living. Newspapers touted increases in commodity values, yet also noted consumers’ growing fiscal hardships at this time.