The objective of this text is to present the concept of feelings of guilt, based on the ideas of Herbert Marcuse in his works: Eros and Civilization and the Ideology of Industrial Society. It examines the different forms of perception of individuals in relation to street dwellers and recyclable garbage collectors; the images and the narrative of a documentary entitled Os Catadores e a Catadora, directed by Agnès Varda; the actions of professionals linked to a cooperative of collectors; and news on the murder of street dwellers in the city of São Paulo. The criticism of the principle of performance is presented as an antidote to guilt which is devastating contemporary society