There will always be those who will do others harm, but I lived in a desert for most of my life, and while there is ideally enough food in times of harvest, it is not always the case. Rather than everyone being at one another's throats in harsh times, I can tell you that most places I've been have laws, or if not laws, then guidelines of conduct, protecting travelers in need precisely because of this scarcity. If someone asks for shelter, one must give it to them if able, because one never knows when one will find oneself in the same situation.
The societies I have seen are not perfect by any means, and I can't say rules of hospitality always worked, but I do not understand how one could behave so differently from anything comparable I know.
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The societies I have seen are not perfect by any means, and I can't say rules of hospitality always worked, but I do not understand how one could behave so differently from anything comparable I know.