At the beginning of The House on Mango Street, Esperanza presents the American dream as a house, a large and luxurious temple to consumerism, "like the houses on T.V." This house would have plenty of space and privacy, as well as being a status symbol. Esperanza says,

This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed.

It is significant that this is the dream house in a literal sense, the subject of daydreams and night dreams. The house on Mango Street itself is not at all like this dream house, and neither is any other real house with which Esperanza is familiar.

The American dream of prosperity and success which the house represents is out of reach for the inhabitants of Mango Street. However, many of them arrived there in pursuit of more modest dreams, such as minimal security and survival. For these people, Mango Street does offer a community and a new start, which are also a version of the American dream.

The House on Mango Street presents the reader with a world in which nothing is easy. The inhabitants are faced with a constant struggle which is at odds with the prosperity of a middle-class American dream. However, many of the immigrants have more modest dreams of self-help and relationships, and these may be fulfilled.