Exploitation and Greed

Where it surfaces

• Epigraph

  Criticizes the wealthy for building their fortunes on the backs of the poor, using religious imagery to underscore moral failure.

• I: Genesis of the Tenement

  Landlords and middlemen prioritized profit over safety, charging high rents for dilapidated, unsafe spaces and ignoring tenant welfare.

• The Mixed Crowd

  Irish landlords exploit Italian tenants by charging exorbitant rents, reflecting the broader exploitation within the tenement system.

• The Italian in New York

  Highlights the padrone system and the greed of steamship agents and contractors who profit from Italian immigrants.

• VIII: The Cheap Lodging-Houses

  Political bosses and lodging-house owners exploit the poor for votes and profit, while figures like David Smith exploit children for personal gain.

• IX: Chinatown

  The Chinese are shown exploiting women through opium and prostitution, with the Joss House combining worship and business in a practical manner.

• XI: The Sweaters of Jewtown

  The sweater system is depicted as a chain of exploitation, from manufacturers to subcontractors, all driving workers to starvation wages.

• XII: The Bohemians—Tenement-House Cigarmaking

  Landlord-employers exploit Bohemian tenants by charging exorbitant rents and paying starvation wages, creating a system of virtual serfdom.

• XIII: The Color Line in New York

  Landlords exploit racial prejudice to charge Black tenants higher rents for inferior housing, treating discrimination as a profitable business strategy.

• XX: The Working Girls of New York

  Employers impose fines for sitting, charge for aprons, and discharge workers to avoid raises; wages are driven down by rural 'pin-money' competitors.

• The Man with the Knife

  The chapter criticizes ill-spent wealth that built tenements for usurious profit, laying the foundation for social danger.

• XXV: How the Case Stands

  Landlords who profit from slum conditions are condemned, and the chapter argues that ethical investment can be profitable.

• Endnotes

  The endnotes detail the high profits from tenement housing and the sweating system, reflecting greed at the expense of tenants.