In the film Conde puts more pressure on Jose Luis to inform.

In the book Jos Luis is initially reluctant to inform due to his previous problems with law enforcement as a child.

He ultimately chooses to inform as he says that Conde’s recent discussion had caused him to think and he had developed a guilty conscience. “me quedé pensando desde el otro dia con la descarga que usted me echo y el lio de que hay una persona muerta y me puse a pensar” (pg172)

He tells Conde that Lisette was helping students cheat as “con ella todo el mundo aprobaba” (p172)
He also tells Conde that she partied with students and had slept with one of them.
He is reluctant to say who she slept with saying  he does not know. However, Conde convinces him to provide the names of the students.

1)      A comparative view

2)      The Crime- as a key to the mind of the youth

3)      Social, political and economic point of view

 

-The different understanding of freedom

The Young say they are nerds because they are free to be whoever they want to be: „Porque nos gusta. Cada cual es libre para ser lo que quiera, pelotero, cosmonauta, friqui o policía. [...] Eso es democrático, ¿no le parece? Le queda una”

This for Conde is incomprehensible, he looks at the young with some sort of jealousy, because deep inside he would want to go back to his school days. Nevertheless, the difference between his generation and the „new” young generation is too big. When the young touch upon democracy Conde comments it in his mind: „El Conde miró con añoranza la botella de ron calzada en un hueco de la roca. El oráculo de la democracia pasiva lo iba a vencer, limpiamente, y comprendió que por algo era el cacique natural de la horda.”

For Conde this is a passive democracy, which can be understood as passive freedom or fake liberty. Conde, as a representative of the old generation knows better about how life in Cuba relly looks like. 

 

The Young speak openly about having no expectations towards life: „-„Nosotros no esperamos nada de la vida” For Conde this is a lie: „„Esto tambien es mentira” For them this is the reality of not being let down. The Young here adapt a philosophical approach, while Conde is more realistic.

 

-Incomprehension towards the crime motive

Lazaro does not confess in the book at all, he seems to show no guilt and takes no responsibility for his actions. The motive maybe is clear to the young characters in the book, nevertheless, to Conde it is incomprehensible maybe even strange. He keeps asking himself how can such a young man kill someone with cold blood and not feel guilt? : „¿Por qué un muchacho de dieciocho años podía hacer algo así, tan definitivo y animal? ¿Por qué la búsqueda de la felicidad podía terminar en aquel deterioro que apenas comenzaba a producirse y que no terminaría nunca[…]”

More importantly, however, Padura presents the crime as something new to the Island – something foreign and more associated with western democratic countries rather than communist Cuba, not only because of the violence, drugs and sex, but also because the murderer was a young 18-year old student. This seems to be something that could happen only in capitalist society, not in the „ideal” communist state.

Lázaro is angered by Lisette’s multiple request for him to leave.

He is also insulted as he feels she is implying he is a real man. 
Lázaro's sexism is evident in both the book and the film. In the film he shouts "Soy un  hombre" as he stranles Lissette. In the book Lázaro claims to have slept with her simply becuase "uno es hombre" (pg204)

In both the book and the film Lázaro's main motive for the crime is Lisette’s refusal to continue supplying him with cheat notes.

In the film Lázaro confesses and claims to have attempted to revive her. He appears to feel guilty about the crime. 

In the book he refuses to confess and claims that he was not with her on the day of the crime. He asks Conde to question Yuri and Luis because they will provide him with an alibi. “Preguntenle a Yuri y a Luis que estaban conmigo” (pg205)

After gaining a better insight to the Young Peoples’ lives we can notice some sort of pattern. First of all, the victim was the one that had access to „the outside world” and all the goods, that the majority of Cubans desperately wanted to have, but it was out of their reach. Is it fair to say then, that the socio-economic situation that was supposed to play a background role in the book in the end develops into the main reasons for the crime? 

 Seems as if the young were desperately trying to liken themselves to capitalist societies, this can be proven in the way they spoke about „democracy”, their attatchement to material goods and the drugs problems. 

 

In conclusion, Padura shows that the young generation is driving more towards the western capitalist states, even though they live in communist Cuba. We can see the Young as a proof that Cuban society is becoming more and more alike to the US society, ironically, this was what it was trying to avoid in the first place.