Taboos such as the proscriptions against incest, murder, and theft maintain the safety and cohesiveness of a community. Taboos are not limited to large acts of aggression or harm. Often taboo surrounds small acts of deviance, such as picking one's nose in public, or nudity. Taboos serve to help keep the social structure in place. When a taboo is violated, severe punishment may be meted out upon the violator.
Taboos promote and sustain biases.
For example, a social taboo against marriage, sex, and social interaction with those outside the culture promote stereotypes about the outgroup. Contact between Rom and outsiders is heavily discouraged. Children are taught to be distrustful and avoidive of outsiders. Marriage between Rom and outsiders is rare, and it results in the banning of the gypsy from the community permanently. Thus, a Rom child comes to be socialized to see a definitive line between them and those outside the culture.