I possessed no money . . . property
In England at this time a man without property had no vote: thus the very
idea of citizenship, of having a "stake" in the system, was tied to
possession of property. Of course, as the Creature will learn in the
subsequent chapter, both Safie and the De Laceys as exiles are also
excluded from this polity, but they have family or friends to rely on for
support.
