Abuse
One of the main themes in the novel is physical and sexual abuse. In particular, children and women are subjected to it. For example, Father John molests young boys, and Ram’s neighboring family suffers from frequent abuse by the drunk father.
What bothers Ram the most about this is that society seems to accept the abuse. For example, when he tries to report the violent behavior of his neighbor to the building manager, Mr. Ramakrishna, he is told that it is a private matter and he is not supposed to interfere: “I know the daily stories of wife-beating and abuse and incest and rape, which take place in chawls all over Mumbai. Yet no one does anything. We Indians have this sublime ability to see the pain and misery around us, and yet remain unaffected by it. So, like a proper Mumbaikar, close your eyes, close your ears, close your mouth and you will be happy like me. Now go, it is time for my sleep.”
Similarly, Ram reports that at the juvenile home, “the real power is wielded by his deputy, Mr Gupta, nicknamed the Terror of Turkman Gate. He is the worst of the lot, a short, hairy man who smells of leather and chews paan all day. He wears two thick gold chains around his neck which jangle when he walks, and carries a short bamboo cane with which he whacks us whenever he feels like it. There are dark rumours that he calls boys to his room late at night, but nobody will discuss it.” Again, the abusive behavior remains unchallenged even when Gupta is caught raping a boy: “But the cook, the warden and the guards are already on their way to Gupta’s room. They discover his dirty secret that night (though they do nothing about it).”
What is shocking is not just that society seems to have accepted the abuse, but the victims as well. Neelima accepts it by saying, "It is the destiny of a woman to suffer in silence. And what he has done to my face is nothing compared to what he has done to the rest of my body."
Corruption
Young children are introduced to the concept of corruption at an early age. For example, when the people play a game of tag in the bunker during the war, they need an Indian general and a Pakistani general. However, “there is only one problem: no one wants to be the Pakistani General. Eventually, they get hold of Salim. ‘You are Muslim,’ they tell him, ‘so you become Pakistani.’ Salim doesn’t agree at first, but is bought off with the promise of two packs of bubblegum”--which means Salim accepted the bribe.
At the same time, people of all social classes seem to expect bribes. When Ram works for the Australian Colonel, the household is disturbed by a man who is tasked to conduct a census. Eventually, he leaves them alone after receiving a bottle of whisky, which he specifically asked for. The Colonel’s wife sums up what she thinks of Indians: “These bloody Indians,’ she smiles. ‘Give them a bottle of whisky and they’ll do anything.’”
At the end of the story, when Ram finally has won the billion rupees, he is eventually able to bribe people himself to get what he wants: “What I discovered after receiving the payout was that with money I had power even over the police.” However, he does not bribe them for his personal gain. Instead, he uses this power to free the children of Maman’s orphanage.
Poverty and Wealth
Ram has experienced the life of the extreme rich, the extreme poor, and everything in between. He has lived in slums, in cheap apartment complexes, and as a servant for a diplomat and a famous actress. Not only does he know that there is an abyss between the two worlds of rich and poor; he also knows that there is no socially acceptable way of moving to the world of the rich--this only happens in movies. In the epilogue, he reflects on the elders who are going to tell him about “never crossing the dividing line that separates the rich from the poor.”
One of the few places where people of all social classes come together is the Taj Mahal, and Ram is quick to exploit the situation when he acts as a tour guide for tourists. However, when he meets a group of rich boys, who later bring him to an expensive restaurant, he is appalled: “Seeing these rich college boys spending money like paper, I am gripped by a totally new sense of inadequacy. The contrast with my own imperfect life pinches me with the force of a physical hurt.”
He also discovers that money does not automatically bring happiness. When he is working for the once-famous actress Neelima Kumari, he learns that rich people are more worried about fame than money--and that they quickly disintegrate if they are not sought after any longer.
However, by winning the one billion rupees, he is finally able to cross the abyss and join the ranks of the rich.
