You never knew when a compadre or comadre of your aunt, or your uncle, or your father, or your mother was watching. For that matter, even people who were not compadres to your family thought they had some sort of rights over you. If you did or said something slightly irregular at the farthest end of the street from your cottage, where your legitimate bosses lived, somebody would be watching and ready to call out: "Mira, que muchachito tan malcriado." And if the offense was considered serious, the voice would say, "You will see, I am going to tell your mother.”

Question

What does the author mean by "legitimate bosses"?

friends
parents
police officers
work managers

Answer 1

In the context of the passage, "legitimate bosses" refers to the parents. The phrase suggests that the adults in the community, including the narrator's parents, have the authority over the child and are seen as the rightful figures to enforce rules and discipline.