Indebted persons were frequently forced to work 16 hours per day, six or seven days per week. They had no control over their work and could be forced to work in a number of hazardous occupations. They were frequently compelled to work in dangerous locations such as mines, on construction sites, or on ships.
Indentured servants' pay was frequently inadequate to satisfy their basic requirements. They were supplied only enough food to survive, and they were usually forced to wear secondhand clothes. They were required to live in primitive housing that was frequently unsanitary and overcrowded.
Indebted persons had few rights and could be readily mistreated by their masters. They were able to be beaten, whipped, or otherwise punished for even modest infractions. They had no opportunity of escaping since if they did so, they would be considered fugitives and punished harshly.
The lives of indentured servants were difficult, but they also represented a chance at a fresh beginning. Indentured servants who finished their sentence gained their independence, and several went on to become productive citizens of society.