The Servant Who Buried the Talent

Receives one talent; afraid of the master, hides it in the ground; returns exactly what was given; called wicked and slothful; the talent given to the one who already had ten. Failure mode: Fear-driven preservation that produces no fruit; theological misread of the master. Restoration path: At least give it to the exchangers; risk the gain over the buried preservation. Markers: received less than others; afraid of the master; preserves rather than invests; returns exactly what was given; named by the failure to multiply