Bourgois addresses "[t]he oppositional identities of street culture" (158) throughout the narrative. Street culture is a performative identity that centers around clothing, beliefs, and ways of conduct that are opposed to middle-class values often seen in workplace or mainstream culture. Factors like clothing and appearance can be borrowed from other cultures, like African-American culture, while many beliefs and modes of conduct stem from specific cultures. In the case of the crack dealers profiled, these beliefs come from Puerto Rican culture. The main tenets of this street culture are respect and independence. Bourgois provides many examples of how the respect and independence expected by street culture, especially by the males he profiles, is in direct opposition to the working-class value system of mainstream America.

Most of the examples concerning opposition between street culture and mainstream culture can be seen in the plight of Caesar and Primo when trying to enter the legal workplace. Both deal with bosses and jobs that not only don’t understand their culture but expect them to conform to the culture of the workplace. Primo, for example, faces a harsh reality when he tries to reenter the workplace but realizes that he is "too old" (121).