I highly recommend the book Debt: The First 5000 Years for anyone that finds these things interesting. It is full of similar anecdotes from around the world and

I highly recommend the book Debt: The First 5000 Years for anyone that finds these things interesting. It is full of similar anecdotes from around the world and throughout history. In some cultures, settling all debts with a friend is akin to declaring the friendship over. As owing or being owed something is a type of bond which is broken when nothing is owed. Breaking the bond implies that you want to break all ties with the person as both are free to walk away. They often manage this by taking turns borrowing small items while making sure that there is always an imbalance. Regarding the OP, there are so many norms and expectations regarding money and they are so varied around the world. My way of dealing with uncertainties like this is just to talk about them in an impartial way.