"Debt" is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to give something of value to another party, the creditor.
Compare Money Tropes, Gratitude Tropes, Bargain Tropes, and Responsibility Tropes.
Tropes:
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Alice helps Bob in return for him being nice to her earlier.
- Credit Card Plot: Alice receives a credit card and immediately goes into massive debt.
- Credit Card Destruction: A person trying to use a maxed out card will have it confiscated and destroyed instead.
- Debt Detester: Alice hates to be indebted to anyone for anything.
- Evil Debt Collector: Alice collects debts for others by acting nasty to their debtors.
- Forgot to Pay the Bill: Alice didn't pay her utilities bill on time and now owes her provider money.
- I Owe You My Life: Alice has saved Bob's life, now Bob will do everything in his power to pay it back.
- Indentured Servitude: Alice is Made a Slave until she works off her debt to Bob.
- Kill the Creditor: Alice decides to kill Bob rather than returning what she owes him.
- Loan Shark: Bob preys on the desperate to charge unreasonable interest rates on their debts.
- Makes Us Even: Alice returns a debt to Bob despite their antagonism.
- Mob Debt: A sympathetic person(s) owes money to a criminal entity.
- Never Lend to a Friend: Alice and Bob's friendship is endangered due to her inability to pay back his loan.
- Paying It Forward: Alice clears her debt of gratitude to Bob by helping Charlie in a similar situation.
- Ridiculous Repossession: Because Alice's credit bottomed out, the bank takes Alice's car, home, non-vital organs and family and pets as "collateral".
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: Alice has a bill for a very large amount of money to be paid off.
- Student Debt Plot: Alice is in debt because she got a degree, or attended college.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Alice does unsavory things to pay off her huge gambling debts.
- Work Off the Debt: Alice returns her monetary debt to Bob with labor.
- You Owe Me: Alice reminds Bob of a past favor to ensure his cooperation.
