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Caretakers and young urban dwellers have to find a modus vivendi in council housing areas. Using semi-directive interviews and participant observation as a base, this article aims firstly, to pin-point the different obstacles which can affect relations between caretakers and the youngsters living in the area. Secondly, we will go beyond these factors in order to obtain a view of the processes which underlie the invention of new forms of complicity and understanding. This type of understanding is fundamental if one wishes to undertake a “deconstruction” of the concept of “city youth.”