In Christian traditions bread and wine play a part in the Eucharist. The bread is often representative of the body of Jesus, and the wine of his blood. While the bread and wine of the Eucharist are symbolic aspects of the Catholic faith, in this story bread and wine are also important symbols in Lázaro’s journey as he begins to see the immorality and hypocrisy of the church. As symbols of health and well-being, bread and wine are emblems of poverty and metaphors of wealth. Bread is coveted, and for Lázaro, it is something to have at any cost, even if getting it involves petty theft, trickery, or begging. Once Lázaro begins using devious or desperate schemes to secure sustenance, he never manages to stop, demonstrating how far people will go not only to survive but also to maintain their comfort and security.

Wine is both intoxicating and healing. When the poor drink wine, they forget their troubles. When Lázaro steals the wine from the blind man, he is beaten. But wine is also used to heal his wounds, so wine is something that gets him into trouble and something that rescues him. Later it is wine that changes Lázaro’s life.