Summary

Adelina Gomes, a poor girl, daughter of peasants, with a primary education and some manual training, shy and submissive to her mother, had never had a boyfriend until she was 18 years old, when she fell in love with a man who was not accepted by her mother. He submitted himself to the fact and gradually withdrew until one day he strangled the cat, which he liked very much. By killing the cat, Adelina denied herself as a woman, taking refuge in madness with great aggression.