how does enrique's emotions compare to his drug use?

Enrique's drug use can be understood in terms of his abandonment issues. Enrique is five years old when his mother leaves for the United States. He is shuffled from one family home to another, first that of his father, then that of his grandmother. He does not understand why his mother left, and then grows angry when her regular promises to return are not kept. As he grows older and develops an identity, it is an angry one - first, he acts out in school, and then later, he sniffs glue and is willfully disobedient to his elders. He is certainly a sensitive kid, which suggests that this behavior is more a form of escapism than hatred. He believes nobody loves him, and sees no solution to his resentment, so he turns to glue and marijuana for comfort. He continues to struggle with these addictions in the U.S., showing that geography cannot answer emotional pains.