Hilchos Lashon Hara, Opening – negative commands (13)

Often, an additional negative command is incurred when people often shame a person for things he did in the past, such as having a lowly family pedigree, lack of intelligence, or lack of success, each person according to what upsets him. Even if this happened with only the two of them present, one transgresses the negative command, “A man shall not afflict his fellow,” and how much more so if this happened before [other] people.