Racism
In his research, Bourgois focuses on how ethnography pertains to poverty in East Harlem. He's trying to root out the cause of the systematic poverty in the region. He comes to recognize how the members of this community are treated by neighboring communities. He pins institutionalized racism as the primary source of poverty for these people because the government has failed to correctly empathize and support these communities, instead proclaiming that drug culture and gang culture have disqualified these people from certain benefits. In fact the reputation for drug usage and violence has corrupted how neighboring communities treat East Harlem residents. This interpretation is based upon an assumption, however, that the drugs and violence are optional. Through his relationships with the locals, Bourgois learns how most resent this reputation but are not accepted in otherwise "normal" society. Bourgois concludes that racism prohibits these people from participating in normal society or in legal employment, propagating a system of poverty.
Honor Culture
Bourgois' first encounter with his new neighbors is not promising. He's a recognizable outsider from clothes to speech to skin color, so he receives a lot of attention, mostly suspicion. When Bourgois meets Ray, he openly insults him in front of a group of people. What Bourgois doesn't understand is that respect is the primary currency in this community. These people depend upon trust and reputation to establish their businesses and maintain relationships, so Bourgois, already under suspicion as an outsider, digs himself a bit of a hole with this introduction. Unfazed, Bourgois is in El Barrio to learn, so he quickly identifies the skills he's lacking to relate to the community and corrects himself. The trust is difficult to earn back, but Bourgois relentlessly maintains his goals and proves that he is interested in understanding the peculiar challenges which ethnicity presents in this community.
Independence
Because of institutionalized racism, the residents of El Barrio possess a profound distrust of the authorities. More importantly, they do not enjoy the same protections and privileges as their white neighbors. This forces the community to form its own standards and protections -- hence the honor culture. By demanding that each individual in the community function independently and honorably, the people maintain the standard of responsibility. Additionally, the survive without outside interference by expecting independence both of one another and of government support. When Bourgois arrives in the neighborhood, he observes with astonishment how people simultaneously look after one another and demand complete autonomy of each individual. There are no excuses made for mistakes.
