The settlement had completely changed its form. The shacks had turned into regular brick houses, and the tin roofs into reinforced concrete. We gained electricity and later water supply.

But the people changed too. The children lost the alleys where they used to play, and their joyful voices were heard less and less. The adults gradually distanced themselves from one another; life in the new houses had more demands, which meant more worries. Competition among them began a little, something that had no reason to exist before.

Unbeknownst to them, they found themselves caught in the trap of consumer behavior. The houses now, with their amenities, isolated them, locked them inside their beauty, like Circe did to Odysseus. The spontaneous, participatory celebrations that used to happen almost every night came to a halt. They were reduced to gatherings of family circles.

Along with the exchange rates, installments, and loan interest, they unfortunately paid the price of social progress.