I learned recently that until 1973, a woman in France had to get written permission from her husband before taking a job. Now, one might argue that maybe she should have picked a nicer husband if that’s a problem. But in hindsight it’s clear that whether her husband is a nice guy is beside the point; he shouldn’t have that power over his wife. The power is the problem.

By the same token, most landlords are totally decent people, but that is not the point- the power relationship of having a landlord in a position to exploit their tenants is still a problem. The landlord accumulates profit and real estate value every year; the tenants stay poor and every year they pay more and more of their wages just to have a roof over their heads. But it’s not the fault of any individual. It’s the nature of the relationship.