There are basically two ways of reading this book (among many): Either the reader can treat Antonio's character as a broken, morally inferior person, or they can try and understand Antonio's life in this real socio-economic and political situation that Antonio really lived in.
To treat Antonio as a failure would be somewhat easy. After all, when a student offers him sex for a better grade, he says alright. Then he fails to take responsibility for the baby. Then he fails in establishing some friendship with Aura (for the baby's benefit). Then he has an affair, not to mention that he spends most of his free time getting drunk at bars, it seems, instead of sacrificing for his family. But on the other hand, there is that one time when he is shot by the cartel, when his friend is brutally murdered before his very eyes.
In other words, although it is tempting to have personal opinions about Antonio's performance, it is undeniable that Antonio is highly paranoid, and for good reason. The real violence and trauma that he suffers is a picture of any Colombian man in that time. Instead of judging the character, the reader can use this portrait as a means for understanding the negative effects of organized crime on a society.
