This paper investigates the ambiguities provoked by constraints on exchange relations-primarily monetary-among adepts of Candomblé. It focuses on the meanings that informants attribute to these exchange relations in the light of constraints and tensions. The centrality of exchange is indicated by the statement of a "pai de santo": "In Candomblé nothing is for free". The paper observes and describes situations where the exchange of money or goods, religious and non-religious, confronts agents with ambiguous situations.