A tragic examination of a failed society that selfishly overlooks a child's dreams, rights and his entire being. The film basically establishes it's theme right of the bat in the form of Intertitles. And what comes next is the visually expansive representation and examination of the problem through different sides and perspectives of the society. The film makes us question the roots of the problem, is it the system? Is it the parental abandoning? Is it the bad influence? Or is it because of that one specific individual in the story? And it's extremely successful when you don't know whom to feel for, perhaps for the poor blind man or the misguided children that rob him. The narrative allows for this sort of philosophical storytelling that leaves us wondering long after it ends. Another thing that's fascinating is how the film is able to portray such a deep and thought provoking ideas in under 85 mins. Though it felt like a bit fast paced in the beginning, it quickly let's us settle in the overall tone. And for those reasons among many, it has become an influential classic that is still relevant to this day. One such film that was inspired by this and has become an influential classic of it's own since then and is one of my favorites is City of God which ultimately showcases how even after 20 years time of advancement, there's no real working solution for it, granted it's a different country altogether but shows how the problem is universal and within.