Character Relationship Map: The Poor

Characters

• Abuzer (played by Yılmaz Güney) — protagonist

  Abuzer is one of the film’s three protagonists, alongside Arap and Hacı. Imprisoned and facing the prospect of release, he shares the other men’s anxiety about having nowhere and no one to return to....

• Arap (played by Güven Şengil) — supporting

  Arap is one of the three protagonists. He was imprisoned after opposing his employer’s unjust behavior; the employer had promised him a place in a building to use as a small teahouse. Like Abuzer and...

• Hacı (played by Yıldırım Önal) — supporting

  Hacı is one of the film’s three protagonists, together with Abuzer and Arap. He is among the poor and desperate men in prison who face the anxiety of coming out, with no one or place to which they bel...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Arap → Hacı (Narrative Co-protagonist) — Arap and Hacı share the central narrative focus as two of the film's three protagonists.

  The film is explicitly described as having three protagonists: Abuzer, Arap, and Hacı.

• Abuzer → Hacı (Narrative Co-protagonist) — Abuzer and Hacı share the central narrative focus as two of the film's three protagonists.

  The film is explicitly described as having three protagonists: Abuzer, Arap, and Hacı.

• Abuzer → Arap (Narrative Co-protagonist) — Abuzer and Arap share the central narrative focus as two of the film's three protagonists.

  The film is explicitly described as having three protagonists: Abuzer, Arap, and Hacı.

Story Analysis

Three socially excluded protagonists experience prison as both confinement and refuge while their pasts reveal the forces behind their imprisonment.

Plot Progression

1. An Unfinished Prison Film — The production begins but is disrupted when Yılmaz Güney is imprisoned. Surviving footage is later reshaped into a changed scenario.
2. The Fear Of Freedom — Abuzer, Arap, and Hacı are introduced as prisoners anxious about release. They ask to remain inside because they have nowhere to return.
3. Prison As Shelter — The prison is shown as a refuge for poor, unemployed, and desperate people. It provides belonging and enough food for the protagonists.
4. The Causes Of Confinement — The narrative turns retrospectively toward the events that placed the protagonists behind bars. Arap's conflict with an unjust employer becomes a central example.
5. The Wretched Exposed — The protagonists' social exclusion and trapped fate are brought together. Prison becomes both a symbol of confinement and an unlikely refuge.