* To escape poverty or starvation. Indentured servitude could provide a way for people to escape desperate circumstances, such as poverty or starvation, by offering them food, shelter, and a chance to work off their debt.
* To learn a trade. Indentured servitude could provide an opportunity for people to learn a trade, such as carpentry, blacksmithing, or farming, which they could then use to earn a living after their term of service was complete.
* To gain social status. In some cases, indentured servitude could be seen as a way for people to improve their social status, as it was often preferred to being a slave or a beggar.
* To gain freedom. In some cases, indentured servants were able to negotiate terms of their service that included freedom after a certain period of time or upon fulfilling certain conditions.