This is what happens when you get cut off from your history. Did you know it was common to have "Mercy Houses" in Catholic countries where you could get a generous loan with some collateral? Maybe it didn't help the really poor, but if you were a craftsman and wanted to expand, you could take your family jewels and get a loan that's several times the value of the collateral as a kind of charity.
But hey, I wonder why that wouldn't be a topic in classes today? :blobthonkang: