Although slavery dimmed any hopes of having a blood family, the family Douglass gained during his time in slavery meant everything to him. Douglass says, “We were connected and interconnected with each other. I loved them with a love stronger than anything I had experienced since” (Douglass 273). Once he was stripped of everything he had, his family of slaves remained. When he endured the bruises and cuts left by his masters, his slave family was there to care for him. Douglass had such a strong love for his fellow slaves. They were his companions; they were his family. Douglass states, “We were one” (Douglass 273). Through these respectful and emotional judgments about his relationship with his former slaves, one can see the true feeling Douglass possesses for his slave.