El Infierno - Characters & Cast

Initially, Benny is motivated by a desire to provide for his brother's family and escape poverty. This financial desperation is manipulated by his friend and the allure of easy money. As he becomes more involved, his motivations shift to survival, loyalty to his friend, and eventually, a thirst for vengeance against those who have wronged him.

Benny begins as a sympathetic, down-on-his-luck man returning home with hopes of a simple life. Faced with a lack of opportunities, he is reluctantly drawn into the cartel. His arc follows a tragic descent from a man with a moral compass to a hardened, violent sicario who becomes what he initially despises. While he achieves the wealth he sought, he loses his humanity in the process, culminating in a final act of bloody, nihilistic revenge.

Cochiloco is motivated by loyalty to his boss, Don José Reyes, and a desire to maintain his position and lifestyle within the cartel. He also shows a genuine, if twisted, sense of loyalty to Benny, whom he tries to help by bringing him into the business. His actions are driven by the internal rules and codes of the narco world.

"El Cochiloco" (The Crazy Pig) is Benny's childhood friend and his guide into the world of drug trafficking. He is presented as both a charismatic, loyal friend and a brutal killer. His arc is largely static; he is a product of his environment who has fully embraced the narco lifestyle. He serves as a foil to Benny's initial reluctance and represents the path Benny will ultimately follow. His eventual gruesome death highlights the inevitable fate of those in his line of work.

Don José's primary motivation is the acquisition and maintenance of power and wealth. He is driven by a deep-seated greed and a desire for control over his territory and family. He enforces a strict code of loyalty, not out of honor, but as a means to protect his empire, and he is willing to eliminate anyone, including his own family, who threatens it.

Don José is the ruthless patriarch of the Reyes cartel and the town's de facto ruler. He operates under a thin veneer of respectability and family values, which masks his extreme brutality and greed. His arc sees him consolidate power, eventually becoming the town's mayor, symbolizing the ultimate fusion of organized crime and politics. He remains a cold and calculating figure throughout, whose hypocrisy is laid bare by his actions.

Lupe's motivation is rooted in a desire for a better life for herself and her son, away from the poverty and powerlessness she has known. She sees Benny's involvement in the cartel as their only ticket to prosperity and security. Her famous line, "We can get used to anything except starving," encapsulates her worldview.

Lupe is the widow of Benny's brother and becomes his lover. She initially appears as a victim of circumstance, struggling to raise her son. However, she is also pragmatic and ambitious, encouraging Benny to stay in the cartel for the financial security it provides. Her arc is one of complicity; she enjoys the benefits of the narco lifestyle while turning a blind eye to its horrors, a choice that ultimately leads to her demise.