In the MVC pattern, the controller acts as a delegator. It submits modifications to the model on behalf of some external interaction (typically a user), and retrieves data for a view as the result of a notification or direct request via user interaction.

Views handle the presentation of the data to some external entity. If a view contains logic, that logic is limited to the presentation of the data it received from the controller as the result of an interaction with the model.

The model is the encapsulation of application-specific data, and the means by which to store, retrieve, and maintain the integrity of that data. The model may or may not mimic the structure in which the actual data is stored or presented.