Osvaldo Cruz is a member of a gang called the Diablos. Though only 14 years old, he has a tattoo of a devil's head on his left forearm and a tattoo of a dagger on the back of his hand and between his thumb and finger.
His appearance matches his...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
attitude when talking to Steve and Freddy. He begins by introducing Steve as from "that faggot school downtown" and further insults him by calling Steve himself a faggot. He does so because he claims he is protected from Steve by the Diablos who he says will "burn him up" if Steve tries anything.
From this short exchange, he comes across as a bully and coward, hiding behind the reputation of older and more violent people.
Steve's script then cuts to Osvaldo in the witness stand telling the court that he was afraid of Bobo, one of the leaders of the Diablos who he claimed put him up to the robbery, because he had threatened to hurt him and his mum. Steve claims that he says it in all in a "soft, timid voice," which of course completely contradicts the type of person that we met in the previous scene.
Osvaldo continues to tell the court that he only participated in the robbery because he was scared of the others (Bobo, James King, and Steve Harmon) because they were older than him. All of a sudden Osvaldo is claiming that he was the victim.
The reader cannot discount Osvaldo's testimony as false, however, because Steve is not a reliable narrator. His goal, as much as Osvaldo's, is to show himself as innocent. So in those terms, he has a reason to show Osvaldo in a negative light.