For reasons no one has ever been quite able to decipher, the Pardoner responds to the Host's request for a tale with a detailed exposé of the techniques he uses to sell his fake relics and expensive pardons to the unlearned masses of Christians who gather to hear him preach. These techniques range from a display of learning meant perhaps to intimidate more than inspire; to a play on the emotions of shame, guilt, and fear; to the implication that those who fail to give him money are harboring unspeakable hideous sins. After telling his fable, which is designed to inspire a fear of damnation that loosens up the purse strings, the Pardoner tries out his techniques on the pilgrims. Like any good salesman, he knows to create perceived scarcity