This spread from a 1940s veteran's guidebook explains wartime price and rent controls that remained in place as the U.S. economy shifted back to peacetime. The accompanying cartoon humorously illustrates the real risk of price gouging faced by discharged servicemen -- a diner scene where a returning GI is charged exorbitant prices for a simple meal, underscoring why regulatory protections mattered during the chaotic postwar transition. Project: 218671