homo bonus
The origin of the term “hobo” remains obscure and disputed; some say it’s a corruption of homo bonus, Latin for good man. If so, most Americans had little tolerance of these good men, who looked to be able-bodied beggars living off the fat of the land. As the hobo ranks doubled and doubled again, when the economic panics of 1873 and 1893 threw hundreds of thousands out of regular jobs, the public’s fear of these nameless, hollow-eyed men grew in proportion.(from)
