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his building because of all the social interaction he engages in with those on the street. Zaki is folkloric and "something of a legend" in his community (Aswani 3). We see that many poor people in the neighborhood are reduced to any means of survival they can find. One woman named Buthayna has learned how to endure poverty by becoming a master in the art of seduction. We see the main theme of the novel most revealed when she and Zaki are lying in bed talking about the deterioration of society in Egypt over the past few years. As Zaki explains to Buthayna, "The reason is the absence of democracy. If we truly had a democratic system, Egypt would be a great power. Egypt's rea

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