I agree with what Alex said in his second post. From reading the first five books of The Odyssey it is evident that welcoming people even strangers into your house is the normal. A great example of this is the suitors they have been living in Telemachus' and Penelope's for almost twenty years, living off of Odysseus' great wealth. They have feasts every night drink lots of wine and a lot of food. From the reading it seems that everyone in the house does not want them there but still they can't do anything about it.

Another example in the book of this is when Telemachus goes to see the King of Sparta Menelaus. At first when they arrive they are not let in unlit the messenger goes to Menelaus and tells him that visitors had arrived. When he hearts this Menelaus is angry he says, "just think of all the hospitality we enjoyed at the hands of other men before we made it home, and god save us from such hard treks to come. Quick, unhitched there team. And bring them in, strangers, guests, to share our flowing feast" (book 4 34-42). Menelaus still welcomed them in even though he was celebrating the marriage of his children. He also makes not that he has been a guest many times in his life, this says that not just great kings welcome guest with open arms many common people would take strangers into their homes too.