Chapter 8 Summary

The Rubio family moves into the nice house and becomes more middle class. Seeing this happen to them makes Richard sad, feeling that they are abandoning many of the good values of their culture. Consuelo stands up for herself more and more, and she listens to the gossip of her foreign neighbors. She often accuses Juan of being unfaithful, and so he obliges her by going to see various other women. They end up staying in separate bedrooms, and sometimes Juan cooks for himself. Consuelo lets the house get filthy, as though the dirtier it gets, the more she is liberated from her role as a servant in her own home. Juan goes and has an affair with Cirilo's wife.

Fourteen-year-old Richard goes to his old neighborhood, looking for Zelda so he can sleep with her. He runs into his old friend Mary...