Lessons of Experience by Michael Chanan states that underdevelopment is an "economic concept" but it can also be applied emotionally. Sergio has made a decision to stay behind and enclose himself in this environment which he cannot even stomach sometimes, calling his acquaintance Pablo, "a perfect moron." Sergio himself realizes that his country has "sunk in underdevelopment." I found it a bit disturbing, however, how unaffected he seems by the events that lead him to such insolation; he lets his wife leave him and willingly decides to stay home most of the time. he seems displeased with his environment, complaining about the bourgeouis and their faults but yet does nothing--does not flee, does not fight, just remains.
This state of paralysis is even more evident through the personal form of narrative Desnoes employs. Sergio is always consumed with talking about material things, such as his need for keeping in shape or fantasizing about Noemi. I feel like Sergio uses the Revolution and its effects as a mean to change, but ultimately does not take any grand steps towards achieving change more so because he was stuck in the past, underdeveloped rather than inconsolable.
The character in Inconsolable Memories is actually nameless. (Sergio is the name given to the character in the film adaptation, perhaps because the actor's name is Sergio Corrieri). Also the novella was titled Memorias del subdesarrollo in Spanish. It could be that Desnoes felt that Inconsolable Memories--which shifts the emphasis from society (underdevelopment) to the individual (memories)--was a better fit with his novel. Or maybe someone, the US editors?, thought it was a more commercial title. Be that as it may, after the great success of the film, it was issued by Penguin in England and the rest of the "commonwealthe" as "Memories of Underdevelopment."
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