Poverty and its accompanying scarcity is a recurring motif throughout the narrative. For LeBlanc, poverty is the premiere factor that shapes and determines the character’s fates. It shapes Jessica’s ambitions to rise above her origins. It necessitates Coco’s numerous interactions with the stateand forms the conditions with which she must grapple every day. It produces violence and the drug trade, as young men act out against social neglect and attempt to access the money and resources that they need in order to both survive and feel alive and recognized.