Taken at face value, the answer is pretty simple: a $25 toll costs $25. Duh. But in the case of Coalhouse Walker, the Emerald Isle firemen, and the $25 illegal toll, it winds up costing much, much more.
First and foremost, what we see as a $25 toll, and what Coalhouse sees as a $25 toll, are two greatly separate things. Two hours of babysitting would cover such a toll, for me. Meanwhile, thanks to inflation, that $25 toll is equal to $619. Coalhouse is going to have to babysit a lot of high-maintenance children, for many hours, to pay that off...
The thing is...the toll isn't about the money. And the biggest costs of the toll aren't financial. This toll leads to numerous events with physical costs, from cars to lives, and to numerous emotional stresses, that in the end, are impossible to give a dollar value.
First off, by refusing to pay the $25 toll on its illegal basis, and since he refused to concede to the white men, his car is vandalized while he goes to the police, the damages well over a $25 value. And then, when he refuses to concede, is arrested and has to pay $50 in bail. But Coalhouse isn't done yet, having "rushed off to the train station saying only he'd make good the sum" (p. 179).
When they go back to the car, still out by the firehouse, it has been completely vandalized. A Model T sold in 1912 for $590 ($14,615 today). Coalhouse consults lawyers in vain, trying to see if a case could be made for him, to no avail.The expenses Coalhouse has accrued, in trying to be compensated for not paying a $25 toll, are over 30 times what that original fine would have been.
But then, things get even worse, when Sarah tries a perfectly reasonable, respectable way to draw attention towards the case and perhaps get compensation for her fiancee, who's called off the wedding until things get settled (perhaps the undoubtably present strains this puts on their relationship could also be considered a cost?). One of the tenets of American democracy, which was being constantly praised and brought up at the time of the novel's publishing around the bicentennial, is the ability to elect officials, who then represent their people. So when she goes to try and get the support of Vice President James Sherman, you would think that the worst thing that would happen was a no.
But alas, that was not to be the case. Following a string of assassination attempts, a confused Sarah (shouting out to who she thinks is the president) runs up, and is butted with a rifle end, severely injuring her and contributing to a contraction of pneumonia, ultimately causing her to pass away. Material items can be replaced, but Sarah cannot. Coalhouse has lost much more important things than possessions at this point.
And then, the firehouse blows up. This is no coincidence. The fire department's horses are shot and killed, along with the driver of the firecart. The cart tips over, leading to the explosion of the steam boiler destroying the firehouse. Who could have such a grudge against a fire department to destroy it and kill its members? Coalhouse Walker fits the bill, and he actually "had already taken several steps to identify himself with the crime" (p. 211). The cost of this toll doesn't just affect Coalhouse and his allies anymore...the instigators of these incidences have now paid, some with their lives and others with their occupation. The lives cannot be replaced, and the firehouse, horses, and fire truck will be much more expensive to replace than the $25 bill they charged.
Meanwhile, Coalhouse's life has undoubtedly been ruined by these events. Having lost much of his material possessions and his fiancee, there can't be much left for him to lose. Coalhouse has exhausted the respectable options with which to deal with the toll, and now seeking revenge for the damages against him, now much more than just what is now a measly $25, will resort to whatever means are necessary, even if it means murder, arson, and certain imprisonment and punishment once (if, that is) he is arrested.
As shown here, the toll incident cost a lot more people a lot more than just the initial $25 fee given to Coalhouse. Numerous people have died, lives have been ruined, and numerous things have been destroyed. Why did this all have to happen? Why did the firefighters have to do it in the first place? Why did Coalhouse not just go along? Hindsight is 20/20, but everybody could've wound up a lot better if nothing had ever happened. Things aren't always worth as much as they seem on face value...
