Botchan is the youngest son in a middle class Tokyo family. His elder brother is the obvious favorite of both parents and Botchan grows up demanding attention for himself—and succeeding only through a series of misdeeds. Following the early death of his mother, the servant Kiyo provides him with the only love and understanding he knows. When his father dies, Botchan's brother gives him a small portion of the inheritance and disclaims any further responsibility for the boy. A modern classic in Japan, Botchan is still very popular and widely read decades after it's first publication.