The Wealth of Nations · Character
Their Servants
Household workers whose labour vanishes in the moment of performance, leaving no vendible trace behind for future exchange.
supporting
Also known as their servants
First appearance: iii of the accumulation of capital or of productive and unproductive labour
As a supporting figure in The Wealth of Nations, Their Servants is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
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Servants occupy a peculiar place in Smith's scheme: their work is real, often necessary, and yet unproductive in his technical sense because it fixes itself in no lasting commodity. They are maintained out of the annual…
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See Their Servants in iii of the accumulation of capital or of productive and unproductive labourNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Smi…
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