"its only a few drops," you may think as you spill something toxic on the ground. but those drop eventually add up. think about how many drops it would take to make a difference. what do you think would happen if someone spilled 4 l of oil into a lake?

you did not attach the discourse, but i assume it to be the discourse on the origin and basis of inequality among men (the original titile in french is: "discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes"), also know as "second discourse". in this discourse, jean-jacques rousseau emphasizes that private property is the basis of all inequalities.

therefore, what enabled the old regime to maintain as long as it did was private property.