ABSTRACT
The distinction between capital and income, which in the Solitary’s case was still confused, became essential in society. The social man was under the necessity of adjusting his consumption to his income, and the society, of which he formed part, were compelled to observe the same rule; without incurring ruin they dare not, they could not annually consume more than their annual income. If society encroached once on their capitals, they destroyed at one and the same time their means of reproduction, and means of future consumption. Though the laborer, by his daily work, has produced much more than his daily cost of living, it is rare that, after having shared with the landlord and the capitalist, he retains much over and above his daily needs. However, what remains with him is his income, and is called wages; he can consume it without reproduction.
