4 ideas
Majid, an orphaned boy in the Iranian city of Kerman, lives alone with his grandmother Bibi on very little money. In short episodes narrated in his own voice, he chases ordinary wants like a bicycle, a bit of pocket money, respect at school, or a small adventure. Each scheme runs into their poverty, Bibi's frugal authority, or adult indifference, and usually ends in a comic mess. The two nonetheless stay fiercely loyal to each other.
A child who narrates his own misadventures in earnest, without self-pity, lets readers see real deprivation without the distance that pity creates. The humor comes from the gap between how seriously the boy takes his plans and how small and fragile they look to the reader. That gap makes the poverty vivid and bearable at the same time.
In these stories, many disasters come from trying to save face rather than from lack itself. Majid and Bibi improvise, bluff, or cut corners to keep up appearances before neighbors, teachers, and shopkeepers. Protecting dignity under scarcity costs extra effort and risk, and that hidden cost is where both the comedy and the pathos lie.
The two-person household of an old woman and a boy works as an alliance that is always arguing. Bibi scolds, restricts, and economizes, while Majid resists, schemes, and complains. The scolding is itself how she shows care, and his rebellions stay safe because the bond is never in doubt.