In the section where Debs is describing the horrors of industrial capitalism, he employs hyperbole to make his point about the monstrousness of this system. He speaks of children being thrown "into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the monster machines" (11).

This exaggerated view of the abuse of child labor wrings sympathy from his audience. It also probably made a few (of the cold-hearted ones) think, "Monster machines? Monsters + machines? Oh man. Forget this Socialism thing. I'm making a career as a science fiction writer."