Translated into practice, this means that it is perfectly okay to employ all means of salesmanship involved in soliciting "business" or extoling a "product." But it is emphatically not okay to entertain any form of exchange value. A gift may be given, and a gift may be received, but true gifts cannot be trammeled by a self-regarding expectation. For example, should someone offer a gift to a merchant, that merchant has the option to accept it -- graciously receiving gifts is a part of the art of gifting. But should the giver then demand things in return, this is, while not a sin, most certainly a breach of etiquette. As this example suggests, our interactive premise has one foot planted in the culture of gifting, and another firmly fixed in the customs of commerce. Discovering that subtle and wavering line that distinguishes these two value systems will be a large part of the fun.

This can be further illustrated by another hypothetical interaction. A customer has entered a shop; a merchant exhibits its goods. Any merchant worth his or her salt will extoll each item -- much as a lover who dilates on the beauty of a loved one. Be it only a torn shoelace, its many perfections could be seen to house further and more subtle perfections, if only one can be induced to see it with infatuated eyes. Yet, should any customer request to possess it, this might be where salesmanship abruptly ends, since anyone knows that it is always bad form to demand a gift. The merchant then might gravely gaze into the eyes of his or her partner in this interaction, saying, "This treasure has been in our family for thirteen generations. It is part of who we are and it is not for sale."