As farmers were accustomed to wine and olive oil purchases, several of them, irrespective of the size of their property, mortgaged their bodies ("pledging the body as security"), in order to borrow and be able to buy vines and olives. The increased participation of small investors in wine and olive oil production is apparent through Plutarch's comment that "all simple people were indebted to the rich". Some of these small investors, as expected, failed in their attempt and became slaves. Although those who failed represented only a small group, the total number of those who ended up slaves, increased significantly.