In part 1 of "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo, do dreams or realities have more power over the lives of the slum dwellers in Annawadi?

This is a great question, and one that could easily be argued either way. Personally, I would say realities have more power over the lives of the slum dwellers. Though some individuals in the slums are apt to dream, ultimately it is reality that has more power over their lives because that is what they are stuck with. They may allow themselves to dream, but most of them do not get very far in making their dreams realities. Abdul, the protagonist of the book, notes in the prologue that people of Annawadi do “too much wanting.” He doesn’t believe there is any good in dreaming because it takes away from what needs to be done in the present. He thinks of his brother Mirchi, who “envisioned wearing a starched uniform and reporting to work at a luxury hotel” instead of searching for trash and of a neighbor, Raja Kimble, who dreams of a “new valve to fix his heart.” The biggest and most unrealistic dream, though, is of One Leg, who “wanted to transcend the affliction by which others had named her.” Abdul’s own dreams are more realistic, and, he believes, “more aligned to his own capacities.” Still, though these people spend time dreaming, none of them achieve what they hope for, and their lives are dictated by scavenging food, hunting garbage to trade, or waiting for medical treatment that will never come.