Answer: Because Puerto Rico is just as poor as the barrio.
In this story, the author tells us about the way her mother feels. Having left Puerto Rico, her mother often idealizes what the island was like. She has a beautiful image of her country, and she tends to negatively compare it to the barrio. However, the speaker believes that her mother is a victim of idealization, and that her view of Puerto Rico is naïve, as Puerto Rico is just as poor as the barrio.
