Mandela referred to "twin obligations" every man has: first, to his family, parents, wife, and children; and second, to his community, his country, and his people. He explained that in a just society, these obligations can be fulfilled simultaneously. However, in apartheid South Africa, a person of color attempting to live as a human being was punished and isolated. He found it impossible to discharge both, as his duty to his people prevented him from fulfilling his familial duties, highlighting the profound conflict imposed by an unjust system.