Esperanza thinks she is going to hell and that she probably deserves this fate because of something she did to Aunt Lupe. Aunt Lupe was once a pretty girl and a strong swimmer, but then she fell ill. One day, Esperanza and her friends were playing a game in which they imitated people, and they chose Aunt Lupe, dangling their arms helplessly and throwing their heads back. This was not done maliciously, since they liked Aunt Lupe, who listened to their stories and encouraged Esperanza with her writing. However, on that day, Aunt Lupe died, and then the children “began to dream the dreams.”