Summary

A ten-year-old boy named Maico and his father went to a visit a blind man. Maico’s father made a deal for the blind man and Maico to start a panhandling business together. They will work the city intersection of República and Grau, and Maico’s father will get a cut of the money they collect together.

On their first day, the blind man pretended to be much more helpless than he was in reality, and Maico led him toward cars containing people “who were likely to give” (116). The blind man explained to Maico that he was there to guilt the drivers into giving money, since they would only feel shame if someone could see them.

At the end of each day, Maico’s father came to the blind man’s house to take his cut of the money. As...