History Main / WorkOffTheDebt

* ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': In chapter 76 of the Webnovel, Bitch is shown a piece of paper by Mirelia: a bill with the amount of money the Guild demanded from her for her spending while part of Motoyasu's party. So Bitch must be part of Motoyasu's party as a slave to pay back that debt. Chapter 111 has Bitch try to claim it was "necessary for the sake of the world", but Mirelia said it was for "expensive accessories, precious metals, clothes. A luxury rental estate and several visits to expensive night clubs. Is THAT what you call the sake of the world?".

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': IndenturedServitude is the fate of any hunter who falls into debt in the setting, with the OneNationUnderCopyright government taking a very harsh view on it. Akira selling HealingPotion to Revin when he's TooDesperateToBePicky and Carol charging a high level hunter 10 billion aurum for a night with her, results in those hunters serving Katsuragi and Viola, respectively. Sheryl also ends up advertising all the money Akira has spent helping her as part of a ploy to get other slum gangs to accept her overlordship, since them refusing to help pay Akira back would presumably earn his wrath (as far as he's concerned paying back Sheryl's debt is just Viola's excuse for being kept alive.)

* Happens in ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'', with the added bonus of showing viewers the one way Pee Wee Herman could possibly look sillier (i.e. decked out in a hairnet and apron).

* A variation in the ''Literature/KnightAndRogueSeries''. Fisk went on trial expecting that he wouldn't be able to pay the fines for his crime, and was suprised when Michael--a total stranger--was willing to pay the hefty difference between his fines and his funds. Since the law actually has a system for making criminals work for those who pay their fines, he's stuck playing Michael's 'squire' for the remainder of the book.

* In ''Film/PaperMoon'', this is why Addie stays with Moses in the beginning -- after her mother is killed in an auto accident, he uses the threat of a lawsuit to collect $200 from the responsible family, then spends most of it to repair his car. Addie threatens to report him to the police unless he raises the money to pay her back.
-->'''Addie:''' I want my two hundred dollars!

* The WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon ''WesternAnimation/TheTrialOfDonaldDuck'' has Donald trying to eat his (packed) lunch outside, but it starts raining. After many [[HilarityEnsues comic mishaps]], an angry Donald forces his way into a fancy restaurant so he can eat his lunch in peace. The ''maître d'hôtel'' charges him for eating his own lunch in the restaurant. It comes out to $39.95, but Donald only has a nickel. The ''maître d'hôtel'' responds by taking Donald to court, where the judge forces Donald to choose either to pay a ten-dollar fine or work off his debt by washing dishes in the restaurant for ten days. The trope is subverted because the closing scene demonstrates the problem with this approach, showing Donald breaking dishes nearly as often as he actually cleans them. The ''maître d'hôtel'' begs him to stop, but Donald holds up his court order[[note]]And, of course, knowing [[{{Jerkass}} Donald]], [[LaserGuidedKarma he's breaking the dishes]] ''[[LaserGuidedKarma on purpose]]''[[/note]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': In "The Big Problem", Timmy wished to be an adult. When he decided to dine at a restaurant, he had to wash the dishes to pay for the bill. The episode provides the image for the main page.

** Averted in the ''Creator/LaurelAndHardy'' short "Below Zero"; the duo treats a cop to a meal in return for helping them earlier. It turns out that if you can't pay your bill in said restaurant, you don't wash dishes; [[DisproportionateRetribution everyone in the restaurant subjects you to a]] NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. Guess what happens to Laurel and Hardy when it's revealed that they can't pay their check?

* In the ''Series/KenanAndKel'' episode "Attack of the Bug Men". The duo is trying to prevent the former's family from returning home to find that it had been robbed. When Kenan's parents request their bill, he secretly steals his father's wallet, and they are forced to wash dishes. All of this is deliberately done to buy time for the police to arrest the burglars and recover the stolen furniture, and for Kel to unload that furniture back into the Rockmore residence. [[spoiler: Kel, being Kel, ruined the plan by unloading different furniture for liking it better than he likes the stuff he should have unloaded.]]

-->'''Daffy:''' Well, [[ConfucianConfusion Confucius says "Can't squeeze blood from turnip."]]\\
'''Porky:''' Oh, yes. (''produces heavy club'') Also say "Better you press shirt than press luck."

* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': In [[Recap/RegularShowS01Ep11RigbysBody Rigby's Body]]", Mordecai and Rigby have to work at the snack bar for the next six months to pay for all the snacks they ate, which Pops convinced them were free (Pops didn't realize that he is the ''only'' one who is allowed free snacks).

* The WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon ''WesternAnimation/TheTrialOfDonaldDuck'' has Donald trying to eat his (packed) lunch outside, but it starts raining. After many [[HilarityEnsues comic mishaps]], an angry Donald forces his way into a fancy restaurant so he can eat his lunch in peace. The ''maître d'hôtel'' charges him for eating his own lunch in the restaurant. It comes out to $39.95, but Donald only has a nickel. The ''maître d'hôtel'' responds by taking Donald to court, where the judge forces Donald to choose either to pay a ten-dollar fine or work off his debt by washing dishes in the restaurant for ten days. The trope is subverted because the closing scene demonstrates the problem with this approach, showing Donald breaking dishes nearly as often as he actually cleans them. The ''maître d'hôtel'' begs him to stop, but Donald holds up his court order. (And, of course, knowing [[{{Jerkass}} Donald]], [[LaserGuidedKarma he's breaking the dishes]] ''[[LaserGuidedKarma on purpose]]''.)

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': Jon and one of the girls he dated had to wash dishes (and some cars) to pay a restaurant bill (and some broken dishes) because Jon forgot his wallet at home. [[spoiler: just one of the several ways on which he blundered with that date]].

** "Dinner For Four": Helga wins a coupon to a fancy French restaurant. When it comes time to pay the bill, it turns out that the coupon was for the fancy French restaurant across the street with a very similar name. Phoebe wonders why Helga didn't just explain the situation to the waiter, rather than order more food while she stalled for a friend to bring a box of cockroaches over, thus causing a greater debt than she already incurred. They had actually gotten away already, then [[TheConscience Arnold]] got them to turn back and wash dishes to pay.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes'': In "[[Recap/TheCasagrandesS3E9DontZooThatMaxedOut Maxed Out]]", Vito owes $10,000 on his tab at the Mercado, so Hector makes him work at the Mercado to pay it off. Vito is so bad at his job and causes so much property damage that Hector bans him from the Mercado. Soon after, Vito gets a job as a window washer to pay off his debt. [[spoiler:In the end, it was revealed that Bobby had accidentally put the decimal point in the wrong place, so Vito ended up owing Hector $100.00 and not $10,000.]]

** "Squid on Strike" provides the quote for the main page. [=SpongeBob takes his striking way too seriously that he totally destroys the Krusty Krab, while at the same time, Krabs decided to hire him and Squidward back=].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight'', Dudley is assigned to tail Snidely Whiplash wherever he goes. One such place was a restaurant, and when Snidely was leaving, Dudley attempted to follow, only to be held back cause he hadn't paid his check, followed by being forced to wash dishes when he doesn't have any money. When Inspector Finwick finds him, he orders Dudley to get back on the job. Unfortunately, this results in the manager making the Inspector wash the rest of the dishes.

* An episode of ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' had the Hare treating the gang to a night at a fancy restaurant and inn... and then slipping off in the night without paying. Cut to a scene of Golem in a frilly pink apron.

* Both Smiley and Phoney ComicBook/{{Bone}} (much to his chagrin) have to work off their debts at the Barrelhaven Tavern. What's infuriating to Phoney is that he had money, but because the residents of the valley use a barter system, [[YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere his cash was worthless.]]

* Used on several occasions in [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Donald Duck]] and [[ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck Uncle Scrooge]] comics, usually to add insult to injury when Uncle Scrooge is temporarily denied access to his fortune because of unfortunate events. In a variation unique to Scrooge, he and the rest of the ducks once end up washing dishes even though he has the money--he doesn't have anything smaller than a thousand-dollar bill and the clerk can't break it for him.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18791527 Xenophiles' Dinner Club]]'', Cassie, Aftran, Ax, and Marco accidentally go to the wrong restaurant, instead of the one where Rachel's mom knew the chef. They end up paying their bill.

* ''Fanfic/FireEmblemRekkaNoKenAStoryRetold'': Lyndis' Legion manages to defeat Lundgren thanks to female merchant Anna supplying Michael with a Master Seal, which Lyn uses to get the upper hand in the fight, and an Aum Staff, which she uses to bring Michael BackFromTheDead after he was mortally wounded by Lundgren. Several chapters later, Anna arranges for Michael to work off the fifty-thousand gold he owed her for the two items during the one-year TimeSkip.

* ''Fanfic/AnAlternateKeitaroUrashima'': While visiting Keitaro's parents, Kaolla Su [[BigEater helps herself to some brownies]]... which were meant for one of their customers. They then force her to work to recompensate them for the cost of both the brownies and the lost business.
* Many Baravadans work off their debts to the gods (which are not at all uncommon, more like bank loans than anything else) in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached.'' One way to do it is to make sure the magical baths are still running in the empty, run-down hotels so the occasional traveler can wash up comfortably. Lyndess refused to do any kind of work for the debt she owed the gods, so they exiled her to Ketafa as punishment. No one knows what her problem was, but they've taken to calling her "Lyndess the Example" because she's a reminder that the gods don't take debt avoidance lightly.

* In the opening scene of ''Film/TheGayDivorcee,'' Guy and Egbert are threatened with having to wash dishes at a Paris restaurant when they both forget their wallets. Guy (a professional dancer, played by Creator/FredAstaire) eventually agrees to dance for his supper, only for Egbert to find his wallet after all just as the number finishes.

* Treated in greater depth in the absurdist film ''Film/TheMusicOfChance.'' A professional itinerant cardsharp and his chance-met companion unexpectedly get into debt to two apparently gormless lottery millionaires when it turns out the latter have been taking poker lessons. They have to work off the debt through what amounts to slave labor on a grueling and utterly pointless task: Using stones salvaged from a medieval castle to build a useless wall. Several levels of tragedy ensue.

* ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie.'' Jimmy [[spoiler:(who is secretly an absurdly wealthy tycoon)]] has deliberately not paid for dinner so he can wash dishes with Millie.

-->'''Addie:''' "I want my two hundred dollars!"

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tfo_thebigproblem_8.png]]]]

** Inverted in Daffy's 1967 cartoon "Daffy's Diner"; Speedy Gonzales doesn't have any money and asks Daffy if he could wash dishes in exchange for a meal. However, since Daffy's angry customer El Supremo wants a mouse burger with a real mouse, Daffy has other ideas.

A common setting for this trope are restaurants, where the characters will be required to wash up the dishes. Even though most modern restaurants have machines to wash dishes, the unfortunate victims will invariably have to wash up by hand. Usually unexplained is how the restaurant was going to get the dishes clean if no deadbeats showed up that night.

* ''{{VideoGame/Battletech}}'' starts off this way: your mercenary company has had a run of bad luck and bad contracts, exemplified by the first mission after the time skip, where your employers double-cross you and you end up not getting paid for the work you did. The costs of running a mercenary company, in fuel, repairs, foods and other consumables, means that you're not even able to make payments on your debts, requiring you to somehow placate your debt holders early on. They also don't want you going too far, so you're forced to pick up terrible paying jobs in a four system area. [[spoiler: The debt is bought out by Kamea when you reunite, and she explicitly states that she owns you, but allows you more freedom as long as you show up when she needs you. At the end of the game, she discharges the debt entirely.]]