Commentators emphasize that the servant's failure was not losing the money or actively doing evil, but his complete inaction. He carefully preserved his master's pound but failed to use it as instructed. As Charles Spurgeon notes, the servant used a sweat-cloth (napkin) to wrap the money instead of using it to wipe the sweat from working. This illustrates that Christian faithfulness requires actively using God's gifts, not just passively avoiding sin.