What aspects of the Rosista regime does the author denounce? How is the link between the Church and the State presented?

The work is essentially a commentary upon the corrupt political system that the author is witnessing in Argentina at the time of his writing. The concept of the work is similar to that of George Orwell's Animal Farm in that a Federalist or Totalitarian regime is symbolized by the interactions between animals themselves, or in this case, between humans and animals. The symbolism of the slaughteryard is a direct commentary on the political situation of the day; the butcher kills all the animals, and even those who do have cahones and resist will eventually be rounded up and slain. Echeverria wrote the story partly as a political commentary and partly as a warning, but political corruption is evident throughout.

The connection between the government and the clergy is presented almost as a partnership. While the people go hungry, the meat from the bulls is shared between those in political and religious power.

The scene of the man being tortured is compared with the one of Christ being tortured. Such a reference to religion, and to the scene of such horrid behavior of people, adds to the image of unfairness being committed.

“Binding the unfortunate young man’s arms behind him, with blows and shoves, jeers and insults, they dragged him to the torture bench just as his tormentors did to Christ.”