The major lesson in this story is when Manuel is being initiated into a gang and is forced to partake in a robbery of an old woman. While Manuel does not actually
have anything to do with taking the woman's purse he is witness to the robbery and is run down by the cops. When the cops question Manuel and man selling papers in the street defends him in saying that Manuel had nothing to do with the robbery of the old woman. Manuel had not experienced many acts of this sort of kindness ever before and was surprised to see this man help him. The reader can come to the conclusion that the old man had much of the same background as Manuel and understood where he was coming from. This event changed to Manuel's views towards many things.
While Manuel does many things in this story that would be looked down upon by society, the author wants the reader to have compassion for the young boy and understand how he was not blessed with as many gifts as most children growing up. The author conveys this theme very well and truly helps the reader increase their compassion for those less fortunate.