The wolf-cub

A coming-of-age narrative follows Jacinto Quesada, a peasant boy in a depleted Sierra Nevada village whose father turns to smuggling and is executed by the Guardia Civil, leaving the family destitute. The story portrays harsh mountain life, the decline of traditional livelihoods, and the hunger that propels men toward contraband. It also examines institutional forces—rigid policing and caciquismo—that enforce order while enabling corruption and injustice. Through rural detail and moral ambiguity, the work traces how poverty, local power structures, and personal loss shape one boy's prospects and the community's struggle to survive.