You kinda acknowledge that the treatment of slaves got better as the wars of conquest ended and the slave supply dried up, but really diminish how awful it was to be a non educated slave in the Republic and early participate. Working in the mines in Hispania was a death sentence straight up. You worked until you died, and is the inspiration for the mines of Valyeria.

Cato the Elder advised on working agriculture slaves until death, and reducing rations when sick and old.

I'm always super annoyed when people try to white wash Roman slavery. About the only good thing you can say about it was it wasn't based in racism.

And yes, conditions did get better, but only when they started running out of slaves when they shifted from an offensive military posture to a defensive. Also killing 160k slaves during the 3rd servile war didn't exactly help, which included 5k slaves being crucified along the Appian Way.