Having been born in a poor village, Abel was proud to have come so far and, believing it was important to maintain a goal in life, hoped to one day move his family into Sector 3. As Denzel's flashback begins in the novella, Abel is promoted to the head of the department and makes plans to move to Sector 5. Abel told Denzel that the people in the Slums below the plate ate rats and that he was lucky to be born above the plate.