No eunuch flatters his tyrant more shamefully or seeks by more infamous means to stimulate his jaded appetite, in order to gain some favor, than does the eunuch of industry, the entrepreneur, in order to acquire a few silver coins or to charm the gold from the purse of his dearly beloved neighbor. (Every product is a bait by means of which the individual tries to entice the essence of the other person, his money. Every real or potential need is a weakness which will draw the bird into the lime. As every imperfection of man is a bond with the heaven, a point at which his heart is accessible to the priest, so every want is an opportunity for approaching one's neighbor with the air of friendship, and saying, “Dear friend, I will give you what you need, but you know on what condition. You know what ink you must use in signing yourself over to me. I shall swindle you while providing your enjoyment.” All this constitutes a universal exploitation of human communal life.) The entrepeneur accedes to the most depraved fancies of his neighbor, plays the role of pander between him and his needs, awakens unhealthy appetites in him, and watches for every weakness in order, later, to claim the compensation for this labor of love.
—Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts