Mona is one tough chick
These movies are similar in the fact that the main characters seem to rebel against any sort of "normal" life, which ultimately leads to their death. They do not want to be confined to a life living under the same roof, working the same job, following the rules of society, etc. They wanted something else. On the other hand Mona didn't have a "something else." She did not seem to have any passions, dreams or motivations, or even a final destination, where as Wyatt and Billy had a goal in mind, to get to New Orleans.
"Such hardcore hardship is almost unthinkable in an American road movie" (Laderman 268).
Another difference is the simple fact that Mona, was alone with no permanent form of transportation. Billy and Wyatt were partners on the road, buddies, companions, support to one another, and they both had motorcycles to get them to their destination. It also seemed as though they had enough money to survive, buy gas etc. Her experience was less glamorous. She was filthy, poor, and hungry. She was treated with little respect by men, such as the truck driver who expected sex in exchange for giving her a ride. She had the hardest time just surviving through the days. Like most women being looked upon by the male gaze, she was not the usual image of sexuality and beauty.