"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's quote speaks to the power of debt and how it can be used to control and oppress people. He recommends that creditors are even worse than slave-owners since they can remove an individual's self-respect, something that a slave-owner can not do. Financial obligation can be utilized to control people by forcing them to work in order to settle their debts, and financial institutions can utilize this power to control and exploit people. Financial obligation can likewise be utilized to shame and humiliate people, as financial institutions can require payment and threaten to take away a person's self-respect if they do not comply. Hugo's quote highlights the power of debt and how it can be used to oppress and control people, and works as a warning to those who are in debt.