In Zoot Suit, inspired by the Sleepy Lagoon murder trials in LA in the early 1940s, (which unjustly targeted Mexican-American youths), Henry Reyna is thrown in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. 

Valdez’s script, adapted from his play of the same name, cleverly presents stakes through El Pachuco, the mythical embodiment of both Hank’s subconscious and of the Pachuco way of life.

According to El Pachuco, IF Henry fights back against what happened to him or tries to fight back against the system, nothing will happen. He’ll still be seen as a criminal.