Slave labor and wage labor represent fundamentally different economic relationships. In a slave system, the worker is owned as property (a capital asset), and the owner incurs a large upfront cost but minimal ongoing wage expenses. The primary risks involve the loss or depreciation of this asset. In a wage labor system, the worker sells their labor for a recurring wage, and the employer's costs are ongoing. The employer does not own the worker and bears no capital risk related to the worker's health or survival, only the risk of labor availability.