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From 1820 onwards, the "Académie française" awarded the Montyon prizes to the virtuous poor as well as to authors of works which encouraged public morals. Their aim was to present a clear set of morals they wished to be adopted by sections of the French population still judged to be "minor," including women and the lower classes. Apart from thrift, cleanliness and the necessary love for one’s neighbor, which were naturally part of this corpus, other themes that were considered vital for the elaboration of virtue emerged. The system of morals that was developed, as opposed to the desire for rapid success in a capitalist society, stressed the importance of a gentle and regular social ascension. Any benevolent act had to go beyond a charitable whim and become a long-term engagement to be considered to have reached the pinnacle of virtue. Thus does virtue become embedded in the notion of time in which "virtue’s time" means a slowness of action, continuity, and an element of permanence. Such a model of virtue meant that only the poor person, most often a woman, demonstrating a resolute and constantly renewed desire for sacrifice, could hope to gain the distinction of the Montyon prize. The prize literally condemned the poor to a life of virtue, imprisoning them in their poverty. This paper attempts to present a model of time management, as related to morals, which varies according to social status and gender.