Ethically, I don't see how this is much different from hiring someone at the lowest possible wage, then using the hours and vital years of their lives to enrich

Ethically, I don't see how this is much different from hiring someone at the lowest possible wage, then using the hours and vital years of their lives to enrich oneself. In the end, one either cares as much about the welfare of those in one's employ, or just uses them as tools in some Pyrrhic victory.