ABSTRACT
Ulsaner’s 1999 anecdote of unattended fruit markets and stolen coolers in Delaware beaches – of all possible places – illustrate the benign consequences of a trusting suburban family in the US. A recent visit to a favela in Fortaleza, Brazil provides a more compelling case on the value of trust. When we questioned youths whether they would leave their favela for a job and a family house, all declined the offer because they could not leave behind their community, their peers. They felt a sense of protection despite rampant crime, clashes with rival youth gangs, continuous rumours of reallocation on top of the everyday reality of hunger, overcrowding and lack of opportunities. Against all odds, those favela youths valued more a trusting community during permanent times of peril than increased incomes and personal comforts.
