What does the figurative language convey in this line from the autobiography and cruel as the deed may strike any one to be for a man to sell his own children to human flesh-mongers it is often th?

The use of the phrase "as cruel as the deed" employs simile to emphasize the extreme emotional impact of selling one's own children. It conveys a sense of disbelief and shock over the moral depravity of such an action, highlighting the profound cruelty and inhumanity involved in the situation.