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Don't think that the guys you're about to meet are humans like us.

They are people of bankrupt character

What is the meaning of the phrase "people of bankrupt character" in this sentence? I've search in some online dictionary and i found that the adjective bankrupt means that "without any good qualities at all". Is that what it means in this sentence? Can i replace the previous sentence with this one: "They are bankrupt character people"

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    The original phrase is fine. You don't need to replace it at all. The meaning is as you said. It does not need to be paraphrased or restructured.
    – ЯegDwight
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 16:46
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    By rephrasing it you open it to misinterpretation. "Bankrupt" is also a noun meaning a person without any money. So with three nouns in a row, is it "bankrupt character" people, or is it bankrupt "character people"? Although the latter doesn't make much sense, it is still a more clumsy phrase construction.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 16:57
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    Yes, that’s essentially what it means. Why are you asking about replacement? Just because having more than one phrasing helps you understand it better or are you attempting to rewrite it in order to improve the sentence? If the latter, that would not be an improvement. If the former why not think about “They are people without any good character qualities at all.
    – Jim
    Commented May 7, 2020 at 16:59
  • Thanks you guys for the comments, i got it ^^.
    – user383745
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 12:44

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This is a phrase that means that they lack moral character.

The literal definition of bankruptcy is to lack enough money to pay of one's debts. However figuratively it can be used to imply a lack of any particular thing or trait.

Character has multiple definitions in different contexts, but here it can be used interchangeably with "moral character", which means the trait of having strong morals or ethics. A person who lacks moral character is a person who doesn't have good guiding principles in their lives.

Putting it together the phrase "They are people of bankrupt character" in that context the person is saying that the people they are going to meet can't be trusted to act morally

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