Reciprocation

You gave me a papaya, I returned a beautiful jade pendant. A couple interpretations probably occur to you. You might think I was trying to solidify our bond of friendship, but more likely I was trying to assert my superiority. I was trying to say that I don’t want to be beholden to you; I would prefer if you were beholden to me. If males and females were equal in this society, I would have eaten the papaya and given you an apple.