What about the cruel landlord known as El Malo? Is he all evil? Why does Gabriel end up kissing him? He’s been a monster, a beast, a bully, the destroyer of Gabriel’s family. But, after we learn the truth about his past, does he seem more of a victim?
Don Gerónimo – Roni – is a good friend to Gabriel. We discover that, during the Civil War, fourteen-year-old Roni played a pivotal part in El Malo’s early life, performing an action that was kind – and, under the circumstances, brave.
Roni remains unaware of the identity of the child he saved. If he’d known what that child would turn into, would he have acted differently? If he had not pushed that toddler behind a curtain, how different would Gabriel’s life have been?