The Moor is also a slave, but he is an adult and of the same ethnicity as the pirate who has enslaved them, so Crusoe may fear that the Moor's loyalties will lie with their master. Crusoe may also fear that the Moor is strong enough to overpower him and so thwart his plans for escape. Xury, on the other hand, is a boy and so represents less of a physical threat to Crusoe. As a boy, Xury is also more malleable in his thinking, so Crusoe can influence him more easily, as evidenced by Xury's declaration of eternal loyalty to Crusoe.