In the course on Modernism I'm auditing we begin we Rousseau and his Discourse on Inequality, which seems to lay the foundations for Marx and what came after. This quote makes a point about the somewhat poisoned nature of possession and how they corrupt humankind (as I understand it.) The more you own the more vulnerable you are to losing it. It made me think of those possessions I have "loved" and treasured in my life and the sense of loss I felt when they got misplaced, or stolen, or wore out. They exist paradoxically as voids somewhere in my psyche, yet before they came into my orbit I never knew they existed. Pretty brilliant guy, Rousseau.