This story by Fernando Sorrentino is a perfect example of the idiom “Keeping up with the Joneses”. A man living in a multi-story apartment building has an unusual pet… a Lycosa pampeana (Wolf spider). A neighbour who sees it is so impressed that the next day he proudly shows the man his new pet… a scorpion. Competition sets in and soon the building is awash with all sorts of exotic animals. As occupants try to out-do each other with larger and larger “pets”, things get seriously out of hand. Themes include vanity, rivalry, materialism.