In this chapter, we learn that the cost of not being treated well by others is a price worth paying to avoid being treated badly. In other words, it's a price to pay if you're going to be treated badly by others. The narrator tells us that this chapter is all about the "cost of disrespect" created by people who don't treat others the way they should be treated. He also says that the narrator's "favorite finger" is a good example of this.