What impression of the main character and his situation is created by the opening dialogue in which he begs his son to mediate?

From the first paragraph of the section titled, Tell Them Not To Kill Me, we can infer that Juvencio Nava is desperate. He is tied to a post and facing death. Based upon his son's response to his pleas for intervention, we can also infer that he is selfish. He is unwilling to consider the ramifications for his son if he reveals that Juvenico is his father, and he is only worried about himself. As for the rest of their family, Juvenico says, “Providence will take care of them, Justino. You go there now and see what you can do for me. That’s what matters.”