When reading Robinson Crusoe it's all too easy to overlook the uncomfortable fact that the lead character's actually a slave-trader. And it is in this capacity that Crusoe heads off to Africa in search of lucrative human cargo. But before then he ends up being sold into slavery himself. It's somewhat telling, however, that even this first-hand experience doesn't persuade Crusoe that slavery is a moral abomination. No sooner does he escape captivity than he's off on his travels once more, looking to buy some slaves for his Brazilian sugar plantation. It is during this voyage that Crusoe is shipwrecked and ends up stranded on a desert island.