Belmonte describes Fontana del Re, an impoverished Neapolitan
neighborhood, documenting the struggles of Neapolitans surrounded by
crumbling buildings and economic insecurity. Resisting standard
depictions of the social and moral lives of the poor, Belmonte presents
nuanced portraits of his subjects. He was also one of the first
anthropologists to reflect on his own reactions and emotions. He
describes the traumatic experience of living alone in a strange urban
environment and his social interactions with the residents of Fontana
del Re.