Quotes about Sapo

"I loved Sapo.  I loved Sapo because he loved himself.  And I wanted to be able to do that, to rely on myself for my own happiness."(3)

This quote shows Chino's need for guidance as a young person and how important Sapo was in his growth as a person.  Chino wanted to love himself and feel fulfilled in what he did just like Sapo was able to.  This quote also sets the reader up for the rest of the book to show Chino's reliance and care for Sapo.

"'You back down once,' Sapo had told me, 'and you'll be backin' down f' the rest of your life.'"(4)

This quote shows the way Sapo shaped Chino to survive on the streets.  It shows that the only life Sapo knows is the life of the streets, and that he is unwilling to let his guard down. This helps explain why later in the story Sapo always turns to Chino for help.

"Sapo was the same around everybody, it didn't matter if it was the president of the United States or some junkie, Sapo was himself.  He was that way around any girl too.  See, there were girls in the neighborhood that you could curse around, act stupid, and all that, and then there were girls that you just didn't.  Sapo couldn't care less."(8)

This quote shows even further how Chino looked up to Sapo.  Chino was seeking an ability to be independent and be himself.  Because Sapo had that independence, Chino admired him and looked up to him.

"'Chino,' he said when he saw me start to walk toward the roof's door again. 'I just wanted to know if you remembah, cuz you my only friend.'  In his own way Sapo was telling me that his childhood memories were important to him.  And a large part of them were made up of times with me.  'I remembah,' I said'"(205).

This quote shows a different side to Sapo because you can see that Chino was just as important to him as he was to Chino.  This shows that his rough and tough exterior isn't as true as it may have seemed earlier in the story.