Juanito Laguna embodies the childhood outcast by underdevelopment. Although he originates in local circumstances, the character transcends what's regional: he is one of the many "changuitos" (kids) of the Argentine north who emigrated with his family, from the countryside into the industrial suburban belt, in search for opportunities. His habitat is the "villa miseria", the shantytown built with remainder materials, the same stuff Berni eloquently used to depict the characters as well as their environment.