But Polyphemus is a monster, not a civilized member of society. So Odysseus gets more than he bargained for, with many of his crewmates ending up inside the giant's hungry belly. It was surely foolish of Odysseus to expect Polyphemus to honor the host/guest relationship that constitutes the custom of xenia. And in his foolishness, he risked the lives of his men. He took advantage of their loyalty, leading them into a situation fraught with danger, where he must have at least suspected that the normal rules of hospitality would not be faithfully adhered to.