"Yes, that's what I meant. Probably much of the difference is because here, people can buy and sell food safely. A big effect of that is that people are much more dependent on property than they seem to be in Fairyland. If highwaymen make a road too dangerous to use, there's someone depending on each shipment that doesn't make it through. Maybe it's food, or maybe it's something that a merchant is depending on. This matters more as cities get bigger and order gets more important. Stealing the tools of a man's trade used to be a capital crime in many places for similar reasons, on the theory that it's making it impossible for him to earn a living.
Not every theft is considered the same of course. A starving thief who takes a loaf of bread is obviously treated more leniently than someone who breaks into a home using magic."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-01-20 03:31 am (UTC)Probably much of the difference is because here, people can buy and sell food safely. A big effect of that is that people are much more dependent on property than they seem to be in Fairyland. If highwaymen make a road too dangerous to use, there's someone depending on each shipment that doesn't make it through. Maybe it's food, or maybe it's something that a merchant is depending on. This matters more as cities get bigger and order gets more important.
Stealing the tools of a man's trade used to be a capital crime in many places for similar reasons, on the theory that it's making it impossible for him to earn a living.
Not every theft is considered the same of course. A starving thief who takes a loaf of bread is obviously treated more leniently than someone who breaks into a home using magic."