The typical protagonist in the works of Pavese is a loner, through choice or through circumstances. His relationships with men and women tend to be temporary and superficial. He may wish to have more solidarity with other people, but he often ends up betraying his ideals and friends; for example in "The Prison", the political exile in a village in Southern Italy receives a note from another political "confinato" living nearby, who suggests a meeting. The protagonist rejects a show of solidarity and refuses to meet him. The title of the collection of the two novellas is "Before the Cock Crows", a reference to Peter's betrayal of Christ before his death.