Thus, refusal is shameful, because it damages their reputation, eats into their honor of precedence as well as honor of virtue. Similarly, the obligation of the clients arises from their dependence, which is an aspect of their social role. Where the patron is ruler, the client's obligation to contribute to group survival symbolically translates into an obligation to obey its head. Again, the patron-ruler, as responsible for social order, has the power to elevate and the power to degrade at will. Because the honor of the head is de jure unimpeachable within the group, it is not the client's place to criticize or to blame the patron.
Social brokerage is a competitive business.