When Antonio tells his mother his dreams, she "says they (are) visions from God and she (is) happy, because her own dream (is) that (he) should grow up and become a priest". Because her aspirations for him are so strong, she finds validation for her own hopes for him in whatever he says, which is disturbing to Antonio because he himself is not certain what he wants to be. Antonio had gotten into the habit of not telling his mother about his dreams because of her predictable reaction, but he does question her about details of his birth in order to satisfy himself that what he dreamed about was true.
When Antonio asks his mother if her brothers were present at his birth, she replies, "of course...my brothers have always been at my side when I needed them", and when he asks if his father's family was there as well, she launches into a tirade, scoffing, "don't speak to me of those worthless Marez and their friends...you will not be like them...you will be a Luna...a man of the people, and perhaps a priest". Once again, Antonio's mother has shaped his dream into her own, and Antonio, troubled, must run away to "clear (his) mind of the dream" (Chapter 1).
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