This could maybe be said of all economies to date. It is surprising Seneca survived and prospered as long as he did in the ruthless zero-sum system that was ancient Rome, if the accounts of his mindset are true. Given his words that all people are slaves, and the most disgraceful form of slavery is one self imposed, we can deduce that he saw himself as such a slave. This might explain why he chose to obey the final order from his former protege Nero, to kill himself.