Indentured servitude

First established several generations ago as a way to find a use for an influx of unskilled rustic labor moving into town, the practice was recently abandoned as unproductive and inefficient.
Several generations ago, an abundance of children among the farms and hamlets on Egg Island combined with a lack of available land and a drought that reduced the number of people the land could support, many young people and even some children made their way into Teller Town in search of work and food.
The inhabitants of town had no real use for these immigrants, the drought, while having some effect in terms of access to fresh produce, didn't produce the same lack of food generally since they had access to the resources of the sea. So it became acceptable to 'hire' these youths as servants, providing them with the mere necessities needed to survive, but little else.
A culture of have and have-not developed, the servants were plentiful and there were always others in need of rescue that it became an accepted behavior among a number of citizens to keep many servants, treat them poorly, and boast of their generosity and goodness to their fellow men.
The contracts were always in the favor of the people doing the hiring, and as many of the youths were illiterate, or almost so, they were unable to recognize the conditions they were agreeing to. The length of servitude was never supposed to be more than five years, but the unscrupulous would keep the good workers for much longer than that, claiming that that's what was agreed upon.
The practice began to die out as the supply of refugees ceased with the end of the drought and the gradual return to productivity. Others in the community, appalled at the treatment of these individuals also began to agitate on their behalf, demanding better treatment, access to education, and reviews of the contracts. A local class of individuals trained as servants became the better, if more expensive option for those of means.
Eventually the practice of indenture was outlawed.

Perception

Social Status

The lowest of the low on the social scale. Even apprentices were higher in status.

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