“An 

amusing ceremony accompanied this custom.” – The statement showed that an

amusing or “amazing” ceremony is done when an enslaved person pays their debt to
another. They consider that ceremony for the debt custom amusing since they divided all
the trinkets that the slave possessed, including his house. They also divided their pots and
jars evenly; if an odd one remained, they would break it.

“and reducing the wretched debtors to a slavery which was not their natural lot.” – In this
statement from the part of debt customs, the debtors were described or connotated as
“wretched” since they were in an unfortunate state because they have a debt; therefore,
they will become a slave if they won’t be able to pay their debt.

“The debtor is condemned to a life of toil” – The connotation of the statement means that
the debtor is now stuck in a life wherein they have to work exhaustingly and for the rest of
their lives if they became enslaved because they were unable to pay their debt. It means
that they are going to live a life that is extremely hard and tiring.