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Stories about other such kind gestures—musicians giving them free tickets to a show, ushers looking the other way as they sneak into a movie theater, strangers inviting them to “stay for a month”—were also commonly repeated. These stories play an important role in the lives of clique members. Panhandlers must deal with the almost constant rejection of passers-by. Blasé New Yorkers, inured to begging on the street, often walk by without looking. ” Such a hope manifests itself in the belief that people are kind and in stories that demonstrate their generosity.

Intimidation, as far as I could tell, did not play a role; the men smiled and laughed through each encounter. Good relationships with neighborhood merchants have long-term value for the homeless at the Station and elsewhere. Like salespeople working a client base, they push hard but not too hard. This is not to say that a subtle form of intimidation was not at work. The merchants might give to the men simply in order to be left alone and to avoid a scene. The merchants are certainly aware, however, that on another day the homeless will return.

A deaf-mute, William communicates with hand and body signals and facial gestures. After William showed me what he did to make money, he pointed to the sky and then plugged his nose. He repeated this gesture over and over again. ’’6 The concept of shadow work is intended to differentiate activities like panhandling and scavenging from itinerant labor, but this distinction is not shared by those I studied. Whether they wash a hot-dog cart for a vendor or “sing for their supper,” the homeless see themselves as simply working.