How to Deal with a Monkey on your Back?

Spent some time today thinking about how to deal with a monkey on my back.... Not a real rhetorical question as some may think. Should you deal with a monkey like the fable "The Emperor's New Clothes"? Should you 'turn the other cheek'. Should you do the 'sorority girl' routine - only say nice things to the face then be a B behind someones back? Why do some people think that the monkey is only theirs and is not a neighborhood animal? Why do they not see that it is in the neighborhood's best interest for the monkey to be well fed? Guess some feel that everything should only be information of the current owner and not shared between the interested parties! Or is it protection of their child/adopted child? Maybe I am tired of being stabbed by the owner when trying to work with the neighborhood!