We know from Marx that capitalist exploitation takes place through the extraction of "surplus value," paying workers less than they produce. But Tronti says that exploitation begins even before workers get to work. What does he mean when he says, "the labour of the past... provides a free service to capital"?

What does Tronti say the function is of laws passed by capitalist governments that seem to protect the interests of workers? Why would a capitalist government pass laws that hurt the profit margin of corporations?

In the video lecture, I say Tronti thinks of workers as having a double existence under capitalism. Explain what I mean by "worker 1" and "worker 2."

Mario Tronti, "Factory and Society," in Tronti, Workers and Capital (Verso, 2019)

*Note: This is a long and difficult reading! I would like you to watch the video I made introducing it, and then read the sections on the pdf that I have marked; page 7-9 and 11-13. I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu5b0NzJuRQ