4¹ What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.

4¹ Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

4¹ Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,