. ▁However , ▁the or izing ▁its ▁imp lications ▁is ▁a ▁much ▁more ▁complex ▁task ▁as ▁it ▁kept ▁Marx ▁busy ▁across ▁more ▁than ▁two ▁dec ades . ▁ ▁When ▁Marx ▁talked ▁about ▁" value ▁relationships " ▁or ▁" value ▁proport ions " ▁( G erman : ▁W ert ver hält nisse ), ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁mean ▁" the ▁money " ▁or ▁" the ▁price ". ▁Instead , ▁he ▁meant ▁the ▁value ▁proport ions ▁that ▁exist ▁between ▁products ▁of ▁human ▁labour . ▁These ▁relationships ▁can ▁be ▁expressed ▁by ▁the ▁relative ▁replacement ▁costs ▁of ▁products ▁as ▁labour ▁hours ▁worked . ▁The ▁more ▁labour ▁it ▁costs ▁to ▁make ▁a ▁product , ▁the ▁more ▁it ▁is ▁worth ▁and ▁in vers ely ▁the ▁less ▁labour ▁it ▁costs ▁to ▁make ▁a ▁product , ▁the ▁less ▁it ▁is ▁worth . ▁M oney - pr ices ▁are ▁at ▁best ▁only ▁an ▁expression ▁or ▁reflection ▁of ▁Marx ' s ▁value ▁relationships — ac cur ately ▁or ▁very ▁in ac cur ately . ▁Product s ▁can ▁be ▁trad ed ▁above ▁or ▁below ▁their ▁value ▁in ▁market ▁trade ▁and ▁some ▁prices ▁have ▁nothing ▁to ▁do ▁with ▁product - values ▁at ▁all ▁( in ▁Marx ' s ▁sense ) ▁because ▁they ▁refer ▁to ▁trade able ▁objects ▁which ▁are ▁not ▁regularly ▁produced ▁and ▁reprodu ced ▁by ▁human ▁labour , ▁or ▁because ▁they ▁refer ▁only ▁to ▁claims ▁on ▁financial ▁assets . ▁ ▁The or izing ▁the ▁value ▁of ▁labour - products ▁The ▁" law ▁of ▁value " ▁is ▁often ▁equ ated ▁with ▁the ▁" lab our ▁theory