The central conflict of the novel peaks in the chapters dealing with Grga’s attempt to legalize his status. This is where Matko’s social critique is most sharp. Grga enters the offices of officials expecting gratitude for his years of fighting the Turks. Instead, he encounters a cold, unfeeling bureaucracy. He is seen as a burden, a relic, and a potential troublemaker.

In the annals of Serbian epic literature, the figure of the hajduk —the freedom fighter, the social bandit, the man outside the law—usually roams the dense forests of the Šumadija or the gorges of the Dinaric Alps. However, the lesser-known (and brilliantly complex) narrative, Hajduk u Beogradu Prepricano Po Glavama ( The Hajduk in Belgrade Retold by Heads ), dares to ask a provocative question: What happens when the forest comes to the city?

A pivotal social moment where the classmates interact outside the classroom. This chapter highlights the differences in lifestyle between his rural upbringing and the urban holiday celebrations.