Victor Hugo: Money Slavery
on Monday, June 27, 2011Victor Hugo Money Quotation saying owing money can hurt your personal value worse than being personally owned by another human master. Victor Hugo said:
“A creditor is worse than a slave-owner; for the master owns only your person, but a creditor owns your dignity, and can command it” — Victor Hugo
In this quote, Victor Hugo is drawing a comparison between creditors and slave-owners, suggesting that the burden of debt can be even more demeaning. By stating that a creditor “owns your dignity, and can command it”, Hugo implies that being deeply indebted means sacrificing your self-respect and independence as you must obey the demands of your creditors.
The best interpretation is that Hugo believed debt servitude stripped away one’s autonomy and freedom in a manner similar to how slavery stripped physical liberty, with the additional psychological toll of losing self-determination and dignity.
The quote conveys Hugo’s view that oppressive debt could undermine a person’s sense of self-worth and agency more thoroughly than even human bondage.
Birthday: February 26, 1802 Death: May 22, 1885