Chapter 3 of Death Without Weeping analyzes the "dual ethic" of life in Alto introduced in the previous chapter. This dual ethic refers to implicit guidelines governing behavior towards one's own class, and one's superiors. Broadly conceived, this dual ethic prescribes an ethos of pride, solidarity and kinship towards one's social equals, and a relationship of  dependency to those higher on the social ladder. Through the stories of women in Alto, the author argues that this system, which encourages charity and solidarity between lower-class residents, manifests little more than resentment and dependency to these residents' social superiors. The author argues that this system is a vestige of the old planting system, which has been transformed through industrialization into an arrangement scarcely more equitable.

The moradores of Alto Cruzeiro illustrate the first ethic, living in what the author describes to be a ring of exchange and reciprocity among themselves. The author describes indepth the interconnectedness of this community, detailing efforts made to provide those more desperate with what they can spare, whether it be food, medicine, work, or even company. However, an unspoken expectation exists that no one among the community ought to be asked for what they cannot provide.