Trash: Part 1: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Gardo explains that Raphael forgot to mention he was so excited that he wanted to go to Central Station straight away until Gardo stopped him. Gardo knows the police will be all over Behala in the morning and it will be suspicious if Raphael wasn’t there. Gardo explains that he needs to look after Raphael, who’s a bit childlike. The next morning, lots of people—even the tiniest kids—turn out to pick over the landfill because the police are paying them to search for the bag. It’s so crowded that the trash slides around dangerously under the crowd. Trash trucks are stopped outside the gates and kids pile into them to get first pick of the new trash. Gardo keeps Raphael in plain sight to avoid drawing suspicion from the police. 

The police instruct the kids to work on the dump trucks coming in from the upscale McKinley neighborhood, where the bag went missing. Rat just sits there and smokes while the other children search. Rat is so grey and filthy that he always blends in with the landfill and so he goes unseen. The other kids are excited because McKinley residents have toilets, meaning the trash had no stupp. Gardo and Raphael start to realize how important this bag is to the police and they both feel frightened—but they hide their fear, pretending to be excited like the others. Raphael is still “more sure than ever” that he doesn’t want to turn in the bag. Meanwhile, somebody finds a handbag and there is a lot of commotion until the police realize that it isn’t the right one.

The line of trucks waiting to get in is getting longer. Gardo knows the dumpsite is a longshot, as somebody could have grabbed the bag before it even got to Behala. Eventually, the police give up and they pay everyone. That night, there is a festive mood in Behala’s “little neighbourhood” around the cooking fires; some people even have beer. Only Raphael’s auntie is worried. Gardo still thinks it was stupid for her to speak up—the police took her aside and threatened to search her pallet-house.

Raphael smiles easily and he assures his auntie that there is nothing in the house and nothing to worry about. Raphael’s auntie frets about how much money 10,000 pesos is, and Gardo has to remind her that there is no chance the police will actually pay up. Knowing that Raphael doesn’t think things through so carefully, Gardo begins silently strategizing. Later, the boys reassure themselves that they can investigate the locker and then give up the bag or even just throw it in the dumpsite for somebody else to find. Gardo recalls that they thought they were being smart, but he forgot to factor in one important thing: the police will never let up if they want something from you.