The metaphor concludes with Nostromo, having raised the Ruler to her lofty position, volunteering to be robbed, specifically for the sake of his reputation, while the crowd thunders their approval. Nostromo does not give the gold that Paquita had asked for, so symbolically he neither confers rulership nor acknowledges in any way her Madonna (the dream-ideal for which the People are asked to labor). Instead he gives silver, symbolizing dreams, implying that he has surrendered his larger ambitions to her, that the People serve in hope of eventual betterment. And thus the allegiance of Labor to the taskmaster is continued, at least for "today."