The poverty of the lila's family is very evident in the writings of Desai. Throughout the book, the poverty is emphasized over and over again to promote the theme and hence develop links with other themes such as superstition and helplessness. Lila "went in with a tumbler of tea" and she "stopped to add a little extra milk to it." This shows that she is very caring of her mother as she adds some more …showed first 75 words of 1307 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1307 total…sleeping, their father came back from drinking along with the three brothers from the neighboring farm. Hari once again wishes that his father would be bitten by a poisonous snake and die. Eventually the whole house was quiet when the father entered and slept, ending the first chapter. The whole of the first chapter is almost an introduction to the life and the associated problems that Lila and Hari have to face in their lives.