They destroy lives with work. What for? They rob men of their lives. What for, I ask? My master-I lost my life in the textile mill of Nefidov-my master presented one prima donna with a golden wash basin. Every one of her toilet articles was gold. That basin holds my life-blood, my very life. That's for what my life went! A man killed me with work in order to comfort his mistress with my blood. He bought her a gold wash basin with my blood.
"They destroy lives with work. What for? They rob men of their lives." This quote highlights the harsh reality faced by workers, illustrating how excessive labor can take a heavy toll on their lives. The narrator shares a personal story of losing their life to work in a textile mill, emphasizing the human cost behind material wealth and possessions.
The narrator describes how a wealthy mistress received a golden wash basin as a gift, which symbolically contains the narrator’s life blood. This reveals a critique of exploitation, where workers are sacrificed to benefit the luxurious lives of the rich. The story exposes the cruel consequences of relentless labor driven by greed and inequality.