"The misery in Anse-Rouge is worse than death."

For your interest, I have included a link here to an online article written by a journalist from Port-au-Prince. Of course, it is his perspective after a short visit to Anse-Rouge (the town), but it does help to give an idea of the context in which Lemuel is working.

The article is in French. If you cannot read French, you will probably get at least the general idea from an online translator.