Given that Tod presumably goes to work on occasion, we hear very little about his job. We do know that he does something related to the visual arts for a movie studio, probably designing or painting sets. Even though Tod's stated artistic desire throughout the novel is to represent the "real" Los Angeles, his day job is building a fake one. The novel opens with "a great din on the road outside his office," which is caused by a parade of actors dressed as infantrymen (21). This is a sight that Tod hasn't become accustomed to yet, judging by the fact that he doesn't leave until they've gone. Here at the beginning of the novel, the industry holds some interest for him.
It's no coincidence that "Manifest Destiny" is listed among the studio's fictional productions—the entire novel is about people who achieve that destiny. They make it to the ocean—unfortunately, most of them die there.
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