truth to Gamboa. Instead of facing punishment, he is released to start a life with Teresa, which represents the ultimate proof of manhood: the family.

Alongside masculinity, secrecy plays a crucial role in the novel. From the outset, the world of the cadets is shrouded "in the uncertain glow" of a dim lightbulb. Secrecy is essential for the emergence of the next generation: "The officers don't know anything about what goes on in the barracks." This ignorance is anticipated. Gamboa is not particularly bothered by his lack of knowledge or the cadets' nicknames, even though he claims early on, "I know them as if they were my own kids." However, as the Poet continues to unveil the cadets' hidden activities and lifestyle, Gamboa starts to worry. The level of secrecy within the barracks' culture mirrors that of the thieves in Skinny's gang. This secrecy is the bedrock of group loyalty and the Academy's hierarchy, reinforced through physical coercion and ridicule.

The Jaguar, a mysterious character, chooses to confide everything to Gamboa. He does this because he realizes he no longer needs a group to define his personal identity. Instead, he seeks the understanding of a highly esteemed officer like Gamboa. This insight comes to Jaguar after Arrospide brands him a traitor: "You're a traitor, a coward ... you don't even deserve to have us beat you up." Jaguar recognizes there is no appreciation from the group he once led. He discloses to Gamboa the ultimate secret—that he killed the Slave because the Slave was an insult to masculinity, to the section, and to him personally. In response, the exiled Gamboa, the only officer with true integrity, sets Jaguar free. Both keep this secret, aware that revealing it to the Colonel would spell disaster for the Academy.

In a world where men are often categorized as either dominant or submissive, the idea of friendship becomes tangled with unease and confusion. The intricate nature of male loyalties complicates the essence of true friendship. This is evident from Alberto's childhood memories. When invited to play soccer, his stories are filled with acts of bravado: breaking windows, dodging police, having a girlfriend, or tackling a steep cliff. At the academy, these themes grow stronger. Boa equates friendship with fighting: defending the Jaguar, seeking approval, and showing toughness. The Poet and the Slave almost escape this cycle, but the Poet, influenced by the barracks environment, becomes too homophobic and deceitful. The Poet's only interest is Teresa.

The Slave confides in the Poet, saying, "You're the only friend I've got ... the only person I like to be with." This candid revelation unsettles the Poet for multiple reasons. Primarily, it challenges his understanding of masculinity: "That sounds like the way a fairy says he's in love with somebody." However, the Slave refuses to let the toxic barracks culture interfere. He remains a genuine friend, sharing his time and cigarettes, and the Poet finds himself enjoying this interaction. Against his instincts, the Poet appreciates talking with the Slave without needing to display the machismo expected by Boa or Jaguar. Yet, the Poet has been taught at the Academy that friendship involves suffering, and in a twisted way, he holds onto this belief by not confessing to the Slave about stealing Teresa. Ironically, the only one truly hurt by this secret is the Poet himself.

Acknowledging the importance of the Slave's friendship, the Poet openly mourns for him. Jaguar grieves too, each in their own way. Both young men have experienced genuine humanity through the Christ-like figure of the Slave. The Poet admits all this to Teresa, saying, "He was my friend." Even worse, the Slave "thought I was his friend and I" was exploiting him just like everyone else did. The Slave brings self-awareness to both the Poet and Jaguar. As a result, neither can remain unchanged nor simply blend back into the crowd.

The novel is a scathing critique of the hypocrisy and corruption of Peruvian society in general, of which the Leoncio Prado is a microcosm, and of its military establishment in particular. The events of the book transpire during the real dictatorship of General Manuel Odría, who ruled Peru for eight years beginning in 1948, after a military coup. Although the novel appeared several years after the Odría regime, its publication touched a raw nerve; the novel was attacked as antipatriotic and, presumably, several copies of it were burned in the courtyard of the Leoncio Prado.

The novel is also about growing up; about honor, loyalty, bravery, and love. The group of adolescent boys whose stay at the school the book chronicles, is a cross section of Peruvian—and Latin American—society, from a sociological and political perspective. The boys will grow up, which in the novel means that they will fulfill the roles that society has designed for them. There will be no surprises, and not one of the boys will ever overcome his assigned task. This sense of fatalism pervades the novel; growing up means coming to terms with this reality, conforming to one’s fate. The first-year recruits, the “dogs” of the novel’s original Spanish title (literally the city and the dogs), receive from Jaguar the impetus to challenge their script; he offers to protect them from the system that seeks to humiliate those at the bottom of an inevitably cruel hierarchical structure. The boys accept his leadership and its benefits only when he is strong; the moment he needs their help and support, they turn on him and break their dependence—in preparation for life outside the school—on what is, after all, a lower-class boy.