The Slum is a novel portraying the Brazilian lifestyle in the later part of the 19th century. This novel was originally a Brazilian Portuguese based novel called "O Cortico" written in 1890, later translated into English "The Slum". This novel reveals the underlying issues related to social classes, women's roles and ethnicity comprise the key elements in this impassioned novel by Aluisio Azevedo. The Slum refers to Rio de Janeiro, a history rich city located in Brazil. Azevedo uses his characters in the novel to reveal how people are changed by their social position in the community, their surrounding environment and race relations. As men move up step by step in social positioning they begin to run over one another, discard the women in their…show more content… We do not know the circumstances of her slavery, but we do know she successfully escaped from her master before the novel takes place. The reader finds out more about her situation later on in the novel. Romao eventually begin to develop feelings towards Bertoleza, so he suggested they live together and she gladly agreed because. She wanted to keep away from the blacks and instinctively chased a companion of the Portuguese race because they were considered more of the grander race. This is statement based on research, and is still true to this day in Brazil area. Bertoleza worked tirelessly to pay for her freedom, her letter of enfranchisement, in her grocery store. She gave all the money she earned to Joao Romao, because of their relationship. Romao would go on to buy more land in the community. On the land he bought; he built new houses, three to be exact and put them up for rent. He was known as the “Slum Lord” in the community. Joao was the one who was building up the slum to what it would become. As more people begin to congregate to the slum the demand for housing went sky high, of course this brought a smile to the face of the “Slum Lord”. Romao truly loved and believed in the