At the beginning of the 21^ century, Reunion Island has become a consumer society. The growth of juvenile delinquency on this island, caused by the social, economical and cultural transformation of the last twenty-five years, comes with a growing sense of insecurity among the Reunionese.
This article examines the fantasies and realities of all parties involved in economic life in terms of the problems of insecurity in downtown Saint-Denis. It turns out that the fears of the retailers and shopkeepers are more a result of the attitudes and poses of the young Reunionese dressed in trendy fashions, loitering in the streets, and hampering trade, etc... than of attacks or muggings.