Reputation being “property of others” also highlights how it can be weaponized. Communities trade reputations like currency—granting trust, denying opportunities, and enforcing conformity. In that sense, reputation becomes part of a social economy: it is not merely what people think, but what their thinking can do to you.
Seen this way, James isn’t romanticizing integrity as a shield against consequences; rather, she is clarifying where dignity can still reside when external judgments turn unfair. Your standing may be negotiated in public, but your integrity remains the one asset that cannot be seized unless you hand it over. [...]
