Kino decides to take his pearl to the capital himself so that he can’t be cheated.
Kino thinks that he has solved all of his problems when he finds the Pearl of the World. He has never had more than a few little tiny pearls before, and now he thinks he will be rich. The problem is that the pearl itself is not money. He has to sell it in order to get rich.
The pearl buyers are incredibly selfish. They have long-ago come up with a way to collude and cheat the helpless pearl sellers who are at their mercy. The pearl buyers also try to cheat Kino, wanting to convince him that his pearl is not worth as much as he thought it was.
"You have heard of fool's gold," the dealer said. "This pearl is like fool's gold. It is too large. Who would buy it? There is no market for such things. It is a curiosity only. I am sorry. You thought it was a thing of value, and it is only a curiosity." (Ch. 4)
The townspeople, who have been curious about the pearl all along, are not surprised. They engage is some schadenfreude, glad that Kino’s pearl is not anything. They were happy to live vicariously through his success but also happy to deride his failure.
The man behind the desk said, "I'm a fool, I know, but my first offer stands. I still offer one thousand. What are you doing?" he asked, as Kino thrust the pearl out of sight.
"I am cheated," Kino cried fiercely. "My pearl is not for sale here. I will go, perhaps even to the capital." (Ch. 4)
Kino tells his wife he will not be cheated because he is “a man,” but she is afraid. She wants to throw the pearl into the sea. She thinks it is more trouble than it is worth, but to him it is a matter of pride.
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