The Ghost House (Symbol)
The Husains put a deposit down on a small plot of land in the Muslim neighborhood of Vasai, on the outer perimeter of Mumbai, slightly removed from the toxic fumes of garbage, and certainly a more comfortable space than Annawadi. However, despite putting their deposit down, the Husains are a long way from being able to build a home on the land and remove themselves from the convenience of living near all of the garbage pickers from whom they purchase their garbage. Zehrunisa begins to refer to the plot in Vasai as "the ghost house" because Karam talks about it as if they already live there, but Zehrunisa understands that the house is a distant and likely unattainable dream for them, at least in the foreseeable future. The ghost house thus comes to symbolize deferred hopes and dreams of a better life—so close, merely across town, but in reality, quite far out of reach.
Now what? What's next? (Motif)
Karam and Kehkashan's cases are tried in an accelerated court, where the judges may be hearing as many as ten cases at the same time. Each of the cases is presented piecemeal over the course of several weeks or months. The first judge to hear their cases would always say, no matter how grave or tragic the witness testimony, "Now what? What's next?" Boo uses the phrase to develop a rhythm in the court scenes and emphasize the sense of alienation felt by Karam and Kehkashan at the callous display of nonchalance by the judge, whose decision will determine the next decade of their lives.
The Hyatt (Symbol)
Established at the beginning of the book, there is a man from Annawadi who spends his days screaming at the shiny new Hyatt hotel. Though the Hyatt is an inanimate object, its looming presence as a glass megalith towering over Annawadi symbolizes the capitalist, globalist revolution in India that leaves many of its poorest citizens even further from stable wages and acceptable quality of life. The fact that there is a man often screaming at it in a way personifies the Hyatt, and the development of Mumbai in general, as an antagonistic force against the slumdwellers.
Beautiful Forevers Wall (Symbol)
The Beautiful Forevers wall is a situationally ironic symbol in that it was erected by the Airports Authority in order to block tourists' view of the slum, but on its face, it advertises pristine, expensive Italianate kitchen tiles. The wall is an illusion that perpetuates a false reality that India has overcome poverty, and it symbolizes the misleading narrative that the elite and government officials present to the rest of the world in order to give the impression that India is addressing its humanitarian issues.
Robert Pires' Painted Zebras (symbol)
The former slumlord Robert Pires is presented at the beginning of the book as a man who, after a long career of lording over Annawadi, feels remorse and turns to religion, leaving the position open for Asha, who more than happily takes his reins. Robert paints his quarter horses to look like zebras and rents them out to parties and events. The painted horses are a familiar feature of Annawadi, and no one there thinks twice about them. However, at the end of the book, animal rights activists indict Robert for abusing his horses. These fake zebras represent both the normalcy of scams and corruption in the slum and how deception is a way of survival, but they also symbolize the puzzling priorities of activist efforts and widespread willingness to turn a blind eye to human suffering while focusing on a more easily digestible narrative of saving quarter horses from a life of discomfort.
