Note 463 — Chapter XXI · THE LAW OF OBLIGATIONS.
Reading edition
A similar relation exists between breaches of contract and crimes. Breach of contract is not in itself a crime, any more than it is in itself a tort; yet by undertaking a contractual duty, a man may often put himself in such a position, that he cannot break the duty without causing such damage to third persons, as will create criminal liability. For example, a signalman’s breach of his contractual duty to attend to the signals may amount to the crime of manslaughter if a fatal accident results from it.