Extract
[...] We will conclude the analysis of the character with a possible interpretation of his first name. Lucio comes from the word which means 'light'. It seems that light is within him, in his convictions, in his desire for equality, in his love for his beloved that he keeps inside him and not outside, in this dark, poor and oppressive context that condemns him to solitude. In the twilight, Lucio seems to enter into contrast: 'The figure stood out strikingly illuminated.' To conclude, Lucio is a reclusive being, excluded and the product of this society at the end of the Franco regime that abandons the weakest. [...]
[...] He is a being constrained by society, who cannot prioritize feelings. Indeed, he cannot tell his wife that he loves her unless: 'the words stuck in his throat every time he tried.' The fault seems to be attributed to the 'militant discipline, the rigor that demands what is outside, the public, and which ends up ordering even what is inside, the private.' Lucio stifles his thoughts, his desire for happiness and cannot externalize himself. It is interesting to note that Lucio's inner garden, ordered and verdant, clashes with that of his friend Taboada, whose garden, which overlooks the cabinet: 'being in the center of Madrid, seemed far from the city, stiff trees, dry branches of vines, a dozen or so streetlights that barely illuminate a few meters around him' is certainly real but described as lifeless, soulless and inhospitable. [...]
[...] Lucio is a character who lives in the past, in memories and regrets: 'with his head full of dreams of solitude for a pile of years before'. Memories parade in his memory: 'futbolines', 'pungent smell of the stables of the remount squadron', 'his father'. The chapters are rhythmed by regrets, by what he could have done or said, especially to Tabo: 'you don't know what it's like not to have anything', by thoughts. The verbs 'thought' or 'imagined' are regularly repeated. [...]
[...] The reader shares Lucio's distress. Lucio is an underground figure deprived of freedom, with his feet and hands tied: 'The clandestine nature restricted the use of the telephone', 'only a minute to tell him personally what he couldn't tell him over the phone', 'echoes', 'strange noises on the phone'. He is being monitored and pursued by the police. He cannot settle in one place. The question 'but where was he going to repeated twice on p.145 and in the following pages 'without knowing where to go' resonates like a leitmotif and reinforces the idea of vagrancy and his illegitimate status in society. [...]
[...] he stroked the hollow left by her body.' Their love is difficult to see, impossible due to the context. This situation affects Lucio mentally, who is feverish, anxious, and depressed: 'alone', 'tired', 'depressed', 'lying in bed', 'sleeping until noon', 'bad taste in the mouth and tremendous anxiety', which denotes a certain fragility and tension. His actions are hasty: 'he quickly gathered the money', 'he put the clothes in the sports bag'. Similarly, in the two chapters, the weather is rainy and gloomy: 'drizzling', 'color and density of the clouds', good downpour of water'. [...]
