When Tsotsi was acting out the stereotypical role of “gangster,” he didn’t feel conscious of making choices—he just did what a “gangster” would naturally do. Now that his relationship to the baby and his memories are making him aware of himself as an individual, not a stereotype, he realizes that he
is making choices—in fact, he has been making choices all along. Meanwhile, the yellow dog once again comes to Tsotsi’s mind while he is thinking about the baby, suggesting the dog has something to do with parenthood.