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“. . . the food they had gathered from Sarene's cart wouldn't last long. The wildmen would return. The numbers that came to him after Sarene were much greater than those that had followed him before. Raoden was forced to acknowledge that despite the temporary setbacks they caused, Sarene's excursions into Elantris [bringing free food to be distributed] had ultimately been beneficial. She had proven to the people that no matter how much their hunger hurt, simply feeding their bellies wasn't enough. Joy was more than just an absence of discomfort. So when they came back to him, they no longer worked for food. They worked because they feared what they would become if they did not.” — Brandon Sanderson
. . . the food they had gathered from Sarene's cart wouldn't last long. The wildmen would return.
The numbers that came to him after Sarene were much greater than those that had followed him before. Raoden was forced to acknowledge that despite the temporary setbacks they caused, Sarene's excursions into Elantris [bringing free food to be distributed] had ultimately been beneficial. She had proven to the people that no matter how much their hunger hurt, simply feeding their bellies wasn't enough. Joy was more than just an absence of discomfort.
So when they came back to him, they no longer worked for food. They worked because they feared what they would become if they did not.