deemed by some of the parents as a 'lefty venture' rather than a Christian, charitable work. When five underprivileged students are admitted to Gonzalo's class, he makes friends with Pedro, for he feels compassion for him because some rich classmates pick on him. Gonzalo accompanies Pedro and his neighbor Silvana to sell flags and cigarettes at demonstrations on the streets: first, nationalist flags at a right-wing demonstration; and later, socialist flags at a leftist rally in support of the government. Silvana calls Gonzalo a snob and names him 'strawberry-face', but eventually they grow fond of each other and even get to kiss. Pedro visits Gonzalo's home and is impressed by Gonzalo having a room for himself, with toys and a closet full of clothing, but also witnesses the tensions and cruelty latent in Gonzalo's family. When Gonzalo visits the shantytown dwelling of Pedro, he is appalled by the extremely poor conditions he lives in. Their friendship mirrors the friendship between the Lone Ranger and the Native American Tonto in Gonzalo's favorite comic-book series. Gonzalo becomes aware that their friendship is against all odds when Silvana finds them reading an issue of the magazine and comments on the plot being implausible because "Has a white person ever been seen to be friends with an Indian?" As the political unrest grows in Chile, the boys' friendship is put to the test. Pedro's drunk father taunts him, telling him that, while his alleged friend will grow up to be rich, he will be stuck in the lower class for good, most likely cleaning toilets for the rich. The wealthy parents of the students at St. Patrick's school have divided opinions on Father McEnroe's project. While some support Father McEnroe's new policies — Gonzalo's father among them — many others — including Gonzalo's mother — think that, for the country's sake, social classes are better off not mixed. The vegetable garden that the students take care of at school turns out to be a failure, which jeopardizes the financing of Father McEnroe's project. At an anti-Communist demonstration, Gonzalo's mother snatches Silvana's merchandise when the latter is being threatened by other protesters, so Silvana retaliates spitting on Gonzalo's mother's car windshield and calls her a whore. This increases the tension between Gonzalo and Pedro, which leads them to get into a fight and be driven apart. Then comes the coup and Father McEnroe is removed