Well, it’s too late. And the owner men explained the workings and the thinkings of the monster that was stronger than they were. A Man can hold land if he can just eat and pay taxes; he can do that. Yes, he can do that until his crops fail one day and he has to borrow money from the bank. But – you see, a bank or a company can’t do that, because those creatures don’t breathe air don’t eat side-meat.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 5. When farmers offer to rotate crops to make the land more profitable, the bank representatives are not interested. They characterize the bank as a monster that needs to continue making profits. In using the monster metaphor, the bank representatives absolve themselves of the personal responsibility for repossessing someone’s home.