Australian "anti-landlord" activists are sharing information on empty properties across the country for squatters to take over and potentially steal the deeds from their original owners. Jordie van den Berg, also known as "PurplePingers," has been posting the addresses of homes he has staked out in Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. Van den Berg
So wait, the same kid or 3 different kids
Same kid. A person who had been sold 3 times by his pater familias (male head of the family) was no longer subject to the legal power of the pater familias. But they were if they had only been sold twice.
Are people giving him back or is it more like rent?
I think Roman slavery was usually like a contract thing. You're enslaved for x months/years and these are the kinds of things you can be expected to do.
Not an expert though.
That's Nexum, possibly. Slaves taken in pirate raids or as war booty were slaves for life, as were vernae. They could achieve freedom by various means, but it was not assumed or an inherent part of the process.
If you're selling someone multiple times you're probably dealing with nexum, which would sort of be like... renting your child out I suppose. Or like using your kid as collateral? I don't really know the exact mechanics here.