Can we really hold the poor to the same moral code we hold while sitting comfortably in our homes? It amazes me that hope can be such a powerful thing. In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, it is hope and idealism that led Abdul to try to preserve his dignity despite injustice, yet it is the desperation of everyone around him that leads to corruption in the first place. Abdul berates himself, knowing that “I can't be better, because of the way the world is” (Boo 241). I am fortunate to be able to afford to hold myself to high moral standards. It is enough, I would say, for Abdul, Sunil, Manju and Asha to try to do better for themselves until they can do the same.