Town councils and poorhouse’s thought that the poor should be punished through regulations and disciplinary actions because they were idle and did not contribute to society.
Humanists along with the upper class thought that poverty exerted a negative influence on society. “Experience shows that if begging for alms is permitted to everyone indiscriminately, many errors and abuses will result, for they will fall into idleness, which is the beginning of all evils.” (Document 4) This quote is from Emperor Charles V a prominent member of the upper class who states that if anyone is allowed to be a beggar in poverty idleness will ensue. Furthermore, he states that idleness is the beginnings of all evils like abandoning their children and their trade or occupation for a wicked and contemptible life. Thus, he thought that if the poor became idle, unemployed, they would be lazy living a worthless life and would continue to mooch off of society while providing nothing. “Instead, I offered to heal them, for God’s