"The Good and the Bad" tells the story of Pavel Păscuțu, a man from a small village who is given a derogatory nickname after the merger of lands in his area results in him losing his well-cared-for plots of land and being left with a barren wasteland. To make matters worse, his remaining property is submerged in water, leaving him with no choice but to live in the swampy pond. Despite his pleas for justice, Pavel is left with nothing, and the people in his village begin to call him "Băltosul," which means bogeyman. The story explores themes of injustice and the power of nicknames to shape a person's identity.
