A curious aspect of life in the tower we have lived for nearly two years … is how many residents are convinced that some of the little guys who work in the halls of the 20-or-so stories … sleep on the roof.

I am not sure I believe it, but I certainly wonder.

Would it be legal? Probably not, unless the roof has an area with some amenities in it. Shelter from the elements, being high on the list.

Still … those of us who spend any time in the gym area, which is on the top floor of the building, have seen the guys who sweep and repair during the day, going out and returning through a small door that leads to the open air … and where I can see a half dozen pairs of shoes nearly arranged against a wall.

What advantage would sleeping on the roof bring to the expats who work in the building?

It would save them a pair of 30-minute rides to and from the main living quarters for “laborers” in Abu Dhabi — an area on the mainland where each resident typically shares a room and a toilet with five other guys. During that time the guys could, for example, offer to wash cars in the underground garages, at 20 dirhams per vehicle, perhaps doubling their daily income in a short amount of time.

And this is key: They also would be able to use bathroom amenities available outside the gym — which is inside the roof area. Showers, changing rooms, toilets.

The immediate neighborhood offers a variety of dining choices, with several of the small “cafeterias” that offer dirt-cheap meals to take away or eat on the premises, as well as other little shops, including groceries, that cater to the southern Asian residents here.

The down-sides to sleeping on the roof would be exposure to the elements. Particularly the soggy all-night heat of the hottest months of the year. (Hard to imagine they retreat to an air-conditioned area, up there.)

But, then, most of the guys in question seem to come from small towns and villages of India and Pakistan, where AC is anything but standard. And one thing I have come to grasp about the subcontinent is … it is ridiculously hot there most of the year. Not quite “UAE hot”, but not far from it.

I have no proof that the guys we see cleaning during the day sleep on the roof. Just the clues — the comings and goings from the door that leads to the gravel-covered open air area; the shoes; the economic advantages doing so might confer.

I should note that from our apartment we can see the roofs of a dozen other buildings, most of them five or six stories, and we do not see signs of people sleeping on the roof at any of those. But, too, buildings of that size don’t have gyms or showers.

Other people who live in this building, however, are convinced some guys sleep on the roof. Perhaps those residents have been bold enough to open the little door during daylight hours and go out and look around for signs of urban camping.