Abstract
In my paper, I deal with the issue of a symbolic concept of value in connection with a loan at the bazaar-pawnshop. It turns out that while in the case of the economic concept the value of the item in pawn is determined primarily with respect to its possible selling price, the symbolic concept of value is more related to the reasons the borrower accents when deciding to accept a loan fee.
A key role represents such concepts as self-esteem, prestige, position in social hierarchy, confirming social status, etc. A symbolic concept of value may seem relatively irrational in this context, and the ignorance of context may evoke the notion that the financial literacy of those who borrow in the pawnshop under relatively unfavorable conditions is barely sufficient.
However, such a view of the issue is not complex because it completely ignores the life situation of the borrowers. The question then arises as to whether the commonly used concept of financial literacy is universally applicable to all levels of society, or whether socially disadvantaged groups do rather act in certain life situations according to different financial literacy principles adapted to their current living conditions.