Cryptic crossword clue
Quietly helping four being imprisoned in state of hardship 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PRIVATION

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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "state of hardship" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case state of hardship = privation.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

PRIVATION noun
  1. The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute.
  2. The state of being very poor, and lacking the basic necessities of life.
  3. The act of depriving someone of such basic necessities; deprivation.
  4. Degradation or suspension from an office.

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