Chapter 2 describes the socioeconomic history and socioeconomics of Bom Jesus de Mata, known as Bom Jesus. A large urban area of the Northeast, Bom Jesus is, like others, a town profoundly affected by the sugarcane industry. This chapter seeks to investigate what divides and unites the residents of the town. The author's hypothesis claims that the center of these relationships can be described by a collective yearning for better conditions and security; the author metaphorizes this yearning as "thirst."

This thirst is both literal, with respect to the destructiveness of droughts and the toxic water supply, and figurative, with respect to the depredations brought by corruption, repression, and poverty. However, the aspirations and identities of the residents of Bom Jesus are not at all homogenous; many communities persist within this single locality. In this chapter, the author describes their relationships and resentments in detail. Primarily agricultural, water plays a vital role in life in Bom Jesus, a role intensified by the unsafe water supply. Parasites and microbes affect residents from all walks of life, rich and poor. However, the poor suffer the most, having to forage for and ration the least safe water. Richer individuals and families have better access to clean water, but are also not entirely safe.