In chapter 12, Dede is one of the sisters who makes the most courageous movement in my opinion. Dede ends up lying to the police when her and Minerva are pulled over on the way to Monte Cristi. That took a whole lot of courage to be able to do something like that. Especially coming from Dede, the sister who does not try to get involve with the law in the whole book like her other sisters do. Obviously she was even scared doing it as we can see when the cop interrogated her after claiming to be Minerva, "Why did you tell my men you were Minerva?. Dede could barely talk. "I...I... She's my little sister..." (Alvarez 278). It took courage out her, she was so scared and it could have involved her being killed. She could have been killed because Minerva is the one who Trujillo mostly wants dead and Dede risked her own life. Alvarez is showing the theme of courage showing a message that courage means staying strong for family and herself instead of being selfish and running away.