I think that we understand the desire of Elian’s father to have his child returned to his custody. Yet, we were never able to see what Elian, or his father actually thought since Fidel’s henchmen flanked him every minute of every day while he was in the US and have been with them both since their return to Fidel’s “Island Paradise”.
The good news is when you look into the kid’s eyes, you see what Communism is all about. It’s just a blank stare.
And, note, this was a dad who had walked off on the mother and wanted nothing to do with Elian till he turned up in the USA. I guess the socialism in Cuba isn’t so tight that walking off on a wife is forbidden.