Following the defeat of the government in the Costa Rican Civil War of 1949, the Communist Party was outlawed and Dobles spent time in prison. After his release, he had difficulty obtaining employment and over the years worked delivering milk, weaving blankets, and as an administrator for a lumber depot and for manufacturer of doors and windows. A new "Socialist Party" attempted to run Dobles as its presidential candidate in the 1958 elections, but the government prevented the party from registering.