How is poverty portrayed?

Poverty is a huge theme for Macabéa in Hour of the Star, not only poverty as in socioeconomic status but poverty in her spirit and her life experiences. Poverty is a major issue in most countries in the world. Having Macabéa and Rodrigo be complete opposites shows how poverty and wealth in Brazil, and any other country, have such an unequal wealth distribution. The narration of the novel coming from Rodrigo shows the audience that many people believe and understand that with wealth comes education and happiness. People always say money does not buy happiness, but it does bring financial stability, sustainability, and education. This can be seen in how Macabéa is described as only surviving on hot dogs, soda, and coffee, but Rodrigo is not surviving, but thriving.