It is not a coincidence that the only person on our block who borrows our garden tools was born in Trinidad. We are delighted to loan them, but our other neighbors would rather buy their own, even if it means spending a lot for something they use once a year. Attitudes are different in small twins where people know each other's families well and, besides, don't have the money to buy tools they use once a year. Here, a great deal of socializing goes on in the name of borrowing and returning things. In the cities, affluence has afforded independence, but it is significant that Americans would rather put their money into independence than into some other luxuries.
*「twins」は「towns」のタイプミスと判断しました。