House slaves, enjoying proximity to power, better food, softer beds, and an occasional taste from the master’s table, saw themselves as separate from those working in the fields. This illusion of privilege bound them more tightly than chains ever could. It bred loyalty, not to justice or freedom, but to their masters and the system itself. Fearful of losing their fragile comforts, they resisted rebellion, preferring servitude with benefits over the uncertainty of true liberation.

— Neal Flesher, Modern Chains (Chapter 9)

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