Dogville, Lars von Trier’s cinematographic fable which takes place in a minimalist decor, features the story of a beautiful fugitive who finds refuge in a village lost in the remoteness of the Rocky Mountains during the 1930s economic crisis. Under what conditions will the inhabitants accept to give her asylum? What will she be entitled to give in return? The movie illustrates the difficulties of the gift in an era whose rationality considers the contract to be a more modern form and the calculation of commensurable values to be a token of peace and justice. What do we owe each other? This question summarizes Dogville, which can be considered as a parable for Marcel Mauss’ theory on the gift through the portrayal of a humanity that does not feel itself obligated. In a time where our societies dither over the calculus of welcoming refugees, Dogville illustrates the terrible consequences of the flawed rationalistic logic of tit for tat.