"Men feel that cruelty to the poor is a kind of cruelty to animals. They never feel that it is an injustice to equals; nay it is treachery to comrades"
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
About this Quote
This quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton speaks with the concept that individuals frequently see ruthlessness to the poor as a form of ruthlessness to animals, instead of an oppression to equals. This is since people often view the bad as being weaker and less capable than those who are more fortunate. Chesterton recommends that individuals do not see ruthlessness to the poor as an oppression to equates to, but rather as a form of treachery to pals. This suggests that people view the poor as being part of a cumulative, and that any mistreatment of them is seen as a betrayal of that collective. This quote talks to the concept that individuals typically see the poor as being less than equivalent, and that any mistreatment of them is seen as a betrayal of a shared bond.
"Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established"
"Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life of which animals are capable clearly impose duties of compassion and humanity in their case"
