8. Forced Labor
Inside many 19th-century asylums, forced labor was a daily reality. Patients—regardless of age, gender, or diagnosis—were compelled to toil in fields, laundries, or kitchens. This work was often justified as “moral therapy,” believed to instill discipline and purpose. In reality, it was frequently exploitative, serving the institution’s needs more than the patients’. Exhausting and unending, this labor added yet another layer of hardship to already dehumanizing conditions.
