In the short stories I felt that the idea of poverty was not a big deal, or at least not as much as it was in Q & A. The short stories focused more on storytelling than in portraying a sense of poverty in India. Although there was one instance in which something in Swarup's novel is discussed in full and in Chandra's story is hinted at which is the sense that the life of a peasant is an illegal existance.
In Chandra's short story there was a passage that described some people cheering on the criminal instead of cheering for the police. This particular scene was one that reminded me of Ram when he said that the police would come and arrest you for living an illegal life, a poor life. The police are associated with the corruption that money brings about in people and it is clearly portrayed in Swarup's novel and doing things that are illegal are just something one has to do to survive. In Chandra's story the people know that Gaitonde was a criminal that did illegal things and should not be encouraged to continue that kind of lifestyle, but living a life that is seen as illegal is something that peasants can definitely identify with. They only see a person that is trying to make a decent living for himself and if the corrupt authority deems it as illegal then they will accept him because they now share a common experience. It is a minor passage in the story but I think that it is worth taking a second look at as well as recognizing that illegal life can be praised if the other options will give you nothing.
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I definitely agree that looking at the praise of criminal activity mentioned is worth a second look. If being poor is a crime, then what is justice? Often the only "bad" things these people do is the demeaning and dirty work they are forced into due to caste, therby reinforcing the notions that they are lazy, stupid, dishonest-all perjorative stereotypes that justify an inequality of wealth. Laziness, stupidity, and dishonesty are never limited to any one social strata, as we find over and over in these stories. Even for criminal behavior above and beyond that of one's unfortunate birth, it is no surprise that there would be cheering. Even if the criminal has done things they would never do, they can vicariously experience their inner anger and rebellion through him at an unjust sytem.
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