Summation Chapter 3

In chapter three Jacobs explains the characteristics of the relationships people share with each other within a community, as well as the intricate rituals of neighbors in urban communities.It is socially frowned upon and the opinion of many that if people had adequate homes to live in they would not be "on the street". Jacobs elaborates however that this statement has as much validity as saying that people attending a charity banquet would not have to be there if they had good wives who knew how to cook well. People have a need to socialize, however they also have a need for privacy, so they tend to socialize in suitable venues outside of their own home. A bar, dinner, corner bodega or if your a child on a hot summer day, an open fire hydrant. This socialization leads to relationships of sorts between buisness owners and the consumers as well as neighbors themselves however, the rules of their social interactions may not always be logical and remain unspoken. For example people will entrust key they need to give someone to the local bodega owner to hold behind the counter or to someone working at the barber shop. A buisness owner might pick up a package for someone living in the next door building while they are away, but a buisness owner will never introduce two of his customers together, it is simply not done. These oddities are what make the communities function on a social level. When a community lacks a proper social ambience one will be created out of what is provided, a stoop, or a playground, however the more suitable the social venues are the healthier and more communal the interactions will be.