The issue turns to one of "shame," i.e., reputation. The People's attempt
to refuse tribute, which begins as shame for the Ruler, is turned around and cast
back as shame for the People. Note that the shame consists in being "poor,"
as if not giving tribute is equivalent to not having it. The implication is that
if the People do not produce for the Ruler, they have no productive force at all;
i.e., they are no longer the People. Paquita invokes the crowd ("all these
people"); by refusing tribute Nostromo has suddenly gone from being the leader
of the crowd to being separate from it.