Nobody liked Dengue Boy.
-- Narrator (Pages 210 - 214)

Importance: In the opening line of the short story, the narrator establishes Dengue Boy as an outsider, an outcast, and a reject. This introductory line introduces the central conflict of the short story. At the same time, the moment encapsulates the author's explorations regarding identity, adversity, and alienation. There is no real reason that Dengue Boy is disliked, yet the way he is rejected by others comes to define his sense of self and the trajectory of his life and story.

That's why his mother hated and resented him—he was sure of it.
-- Narrator (Pages 210 - 214)

Importance: In the opening paragraphs of the short story, Dengue Boy's alienation and adversity appear limited to his academic sphere. However, on the story's second page, the narrator informs the reader that Dengue Boy's home life is similarly intolerable. The difference between these realms, however, is Dengue Boy's perception of and interactions with them...