perhaps I reflect views of times past. C.P. Snow's "strangers and brothers" series of books starts with Lewis (the hero) as a child, bearing the burdens of his fathers bankruptcy and the implicit expectation he will work life-long to repay the debt, which he rejects. Shock! Horror! -Thats a 1940-1970 series.
It's a common trope in fiction: to be bankrupt, to fail in a business endeavour is to acquire shame and disgrace in society.
Obviously I'm not saying there is a literal colourfast red skin dye reserved for failed businessmen: Societal expectation is a stupid social construct, not law.
It's a common trope in fiction: to be bankrupt, to fail in a business endeavour is to acquire shame and disgrace in society.
If the 40s is too far back, John Le Carré has used it several times as a back plot driver for characters across his books, no doubt reflecting his own experiences as a child of a fraudster and serial bankcrupt. He was writing actively into the modern era.
Obviously I'm not saying there is a literal colourfast red skin dye reserved for failed businessmen: Societal expectation is a stupid social construct, not law.