I would argue that the main conflict in Trash is not between two characters. The conflict lies in the attempt to decide whether or not Raphael and Gardo were acting morally, and this is an area in which the reader is forced to pick a side.

On the one hand, Gardo and Raphael have had a tough start to life with almost no opportunities. Their only way to make a living is to sift through the trash at the Behala dumpsite in the hope of finding enough money to feed themselves. When the find a small leather bag containing, among other things, eleven hundred pesos, a moral dilemma arises. From an ethical point of view, the boys should hand their find over to the police, especially since the bag contains the owner's identification. Over and above this, the photos of the bag's owner and his daughters makes it apparent that Jose Angelico probably needs the money.

On the other hand, for Gardo and Raphael, this money could be life-changing, and a fair "finders keepers" argument could be formulated.

For me, this conflict positions me to see Gardo and Raphael in a poor light, because Raphael immediately starts to lie when the police come asking questions.

However, it turns out that Jose Angelico was no saint himself, and that the money was not really his. The story becomes a chain of criminal activity in which no one really seems to hold the moral high ground. Later, however, with the discovery of much more money, the children are able to start a new life, giving the story a heartwarming ending.