This doesn’t mean you need to give twenty-dollar bills to everyone you meet. Favors can be quite small. We also often forget that something quite easy for us (a thirty-second email introduction) can have enormous payoffs for others (a new job). Doing quick favors for new acquaintances tells other Givers you’re a Giver and can earn you the protection of Matchers. Go ahead and send that new inmate a gift basket. When the knives come out in the prison yard you’ll have a lot more people watching your back.
