Abstract

In a large municipality in the Ruhr region, Germany's Rust Belt, a civic association established a public bookcase. Within a few months, the operator began stamping the deposited books as "loaned items" in an effort to prevent their resale, prompted by social media speculation about "looters" who allegedly took out excessive numbers of books. This internal neighbourhood discourse, mediated through digital platforms, escalated rapidly. The case exemplifies the local actors' inability to accurately assess the situation, particularly evident in their public condemnation of others for allegedly violating labelling norms. This misjudgment, compounded by counterfactual claims, results in an excessive and disproportionate critique. Such hyperbolic reactions obstruct most participants from recognising ethically appropriate conduct. At the core of this outraged debate lies a self-centered moralism that reflects broader societal tendencies toward exclusion or polarisation. The devalued books metaphorically represent marginalised individuals ("looters"). Through a reconstructive and systematic analysis grounded in ethical and economic theoretical frameworks, this chapter traces the dynamics of this discourse step by step.