. As the central character of Sarmiento's "Facundo", he represents barbarism, the antithesis of civilization. (Portrait by Fernando García del Molino) The second section of "Facundo" explores the life of its titular character, Juan Facundo Quiroga—the "Tiger of the Plains". Despite being born into a wealthy family, Facundo received only a basic education in reading and writing. He loved gambling, being called "el jugador" (the player)—in fact, Sarmiento describes his gambling as "an ardent passion burning in his belly". As a youth Facundo was antisocial and rebellious, refusing to mix with other children, and these traits became more pronounced as he matured. Sarmiento describes an incident in which Facundo killed a man, writing that this type of behaviour "marked his passage through the world". Sarmiento gives a physical description of the man he considers to personify the "caudillo": "had a short and well built stature; his broad shoulders supported, on a short neck, a well-formed head covered with very thick, black and curly hair", with "eyes ... full of fire".