some aspects of the old state had managed to survive the tidal wave of change which had washed away so many old ideals : there was already an army of street cleaners at work on the citys sidewalks , erasing the current days grime even before the clock had signalled that it was time for a new day to begin ; there were still the iconic sculptures and vast monuments to past industrial and sociological achievement , although these were now viewed with irony , something that would have been unimaginable in the not-so-distant past , when any negative comment against the state was viewed as a treasonable offence ; there were also the pictures of kim - both father and son - everywhere , but as with the image of che guevera which dominates every billboard in havana , the impression of the two leaders was as though they were gazing down benevolently upon their people and city , rather than watchfully .