If the heads of the durbeyfield household chose to sail into difficulty , disaster , starvation , disease , degradation , death , thither were these half - dozen little captives under hatches compelled to sail with them - six helpless creatures , who had never been asked if they wished for life on any terms , much less if they wished for it on such hard conditions as were involved in being of the shiftless house of durbeyfield 假如德北菲尔德家的两个家长选择一条航线，要把这条船开进困苦灾难饥饿疾病屈辱死亡中去，那么这些关在船舱里的半打小俘虏也只好被迫同他们一起进去六个无依无靠的小生命，从来没有人问过他们对生活有什么要求，更没有人问过他们是否愿意生活在艰苦的环境里，就像他们生活在无能为力的德北菲尔德的家中一样。
