Violence
Luis was born and raised in a tough environment where every day he struggled to survive. Luis and his family had to deal with poverty and violence and every time they tried to escape from that environment they found themselves back where they started. In a way, they were trapped in a vicious circle they could not escape. What is even more, they perpetuated the cycle by being themselves violent and by engaging in various activities that were violent in nature. Also, as Luis points out, the police, the force that was supposed to control the violent outbursts in the community were violent as well and thus this only aggravated the situation. Violence was so common for every character that the news that someone they knew died was no shock, just an inevitable thing that could not be avoided.
Gang life
From the age of 13, Luis participated in various gang activities. He was a member in at least three gangs before deciding that he wants to leave that life behind and Luis was able to see the various ways in which gangs operated. The first gang Luis was a part of was more of a group, not interested in doing anything violent. The main reason why they formed the gang was to protect themselves from everything happening around them. This changed however in the second and third gang, organizations interested in making profit and with no remorse whatsoever. However, for Luis and for other characters in the book, that type of life was something normal. They did not question the necessity of being in a gang they just did what everyone else was doing. This shows that in many cases, the children who get involved in gang related activities find themselves in that situation because they feel as if they have no other choice.
The power to change your life
Luis’s story is a sad one but not a tragic one. In comparison with other characters in the book, he manages to get out of that lifestyle and become an engaged member of society. While Luis started out as a gang member, he quickly realized the dangers that came with the gang lifestyle and easy helped to turn his life around. Luis had his parents’ support and love as well as the support of his mentor who tried to push Luis to do the right thing. Their efforts were not in vain as Luis started focusing his efforts on helping the community instead of trying to destroy it.
