▁their ▁means ▁of ▁life ▁to ▁surv ive . ▁Hum ans ▁have ▁to ▁value ▁things , ▁and ▁each ▁other , ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁surv ive . ▁In ▁so ▁doing ▁they ▁are ▁subject ▁to ▁relations ▁of ▁production . ▁They ▁know ▁that ▁their ▁products ▁have ▁a ▁soci ally ▁accepted ▁value , ▁even ▁if ▁no ▁trade ▁occurs ▁yet . ▁Three ▁main ▁kinds ▁of ▁relationships ▁are ▁involved ▁which ▁are ▁object ively ▁and ▁empir ically ▁ver ifiable , ▁and ▁often ▁formal ised ▁in ▁law : ▁Between ▁people ▁( social ▁relations ). ▁Between ▁people ▁and ▁their ▁economic ▁products ▁( techn ical ▁relations ). ▁Between ▁economic ▁products ▁themselves ▁( with ▁or ▁without ▁trad ing ▁prices ; ▁these ▁are ▁technical , ▁economic ▁or ▁commercial ▁relations , ▁or , ▁in ▁general , ▁value ▁proport ions ). ▁ ▁The ▁att ribution ▁of ▁value ▁to ▁labor - products , ▁and ▁therefore ▁the ▁econom ising ▁of ▁their ▁use , ▁occurs ▁within ▁these ▁three ▁types ▁of ▁relationships ▁interact ing ▁with ▁each ▁other . ▁The ▁value ▁of ▁one ▁product ▁then ▁depends ▁on ▁the ▁value ▁of ▁many ▁other ▁products , ▁and , ▁in ▁a ▁community ▁of ▁independent ▁private ▁produ cers , ▁their ▁economic ▁relations ▁are ▁then ▁necessarily ▁expressed ▁through ▁the ▁product - values ▁of ▁what ▁they ▁trade . ▁This ▁expression ▁involves ▁character ▁mask s . ▁Over ▁time , ▁most ▁products ▁ac quire ▁a ▁normal ▁exchange - value , ▁meaning ▁that ▁what ▁a ▁product ▁costs ▁relative ▁to ▁other ▁products ▁remains ▁fairly ▁stable . ▁However , ▁because ▁these ▁three ▁types ▁of ▁relationships ▁co - exist ▁and ▁interact ▁object ively ▁independent ▁of