’s brother and ’s lover. Miguel is an orphan, and his sister takes responsibility for him as a young child. When Miguel is just five years old, Amanda begins dating , Alba’s uncle. Miguel watches from a closet as Alba is born, although he doesn’t remember this later on. Alba and Miguel meet again years later at university, where Miguel is in his last year of law school and is an outspoken socialist. He talks of revolution (as represented by a tiny insignia of a raised fist embroidered on his sleeve), and he supports class warfare and thinks the violence of oppression can only be overcome with more violence. Miguel organizes the student protests on campus, and when the is overthrown during the military coup d’état, Miguel joins the guerillas. Miguel and Alba are madly in love, and after she is arrested and tortured by the police after the coup, Miguel goes to to help look for her. It is Miguel who suggests Esteban go to for help, and at the end of the book, Alba is released and awaits Miguel’s return from war. Miguel and Alba’s relationship is a testament to the power of love within the novel, but more importantly, Miguel represents class struggle and the working-class fight for equality and freedom.