At the beginning of the story, Balthazar is content with what he has, while characters who desire material wealth live unhappily. Although Montiel is not wealthy, he has curated his image to suggest that he is. As Balthazar approaches Montiel’s house, the narrator reveals that “he never felt at ease among the rich. He used to think about them, [...] and he always experienced a feeling of pity” (153). Once he is inside, Balthazar’s feelings of pity turn out to be well-founded. Montiel sleeps lightly to guard his possessions, carries weight on his body that may parallel the objects he hoards, and violently berates his family. García Márquez’s short story suggests the narrator’s distaste for the town’s materialism. While Balthazar is morally elevated the more he gives up, his fall comes suddenly when he begins to desire the external reward of the town’s favor. In the story’s moral ethos, wanting is a corrupting power and humility is the only lasting contentment.

Dr. Octavio Giraldo’s account of his wife’s love for birds is central to his need for Balthazar’s bird cage. “His wife liked birds, and she liked them so much that she hated cats because they could eat them up” (150).