The Road is set in a post-apocalyptic future. The desolate landscape and the absence of growing things, as well as the cold weather, suggest nuclear winter, i.e. the aftermath of a nuclear war. The man suggests to his son that they should travel south as it may be warmer there. They travel for days, weeks, focused on little beyond survival: they carry their few belongings in a cart and forage for food and water, hoping they will find a warmer place to be.
The image of warmth is not just a practical concern but a metaphor: warmth conveys comfort, safety, and camaraderie. These three things are sorely lacking in this world, where the few people who remain are predators, cannibals, or worse. The world was "warm" before nuclear winter arrived: with the cold came desperation and bloodthirsty behavior. The idea of a warm place contains the suggestion that the man and his son might find a place where people show kindness and compassion, instead of cruelty and brutality.
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