Explain · Like I'm five version
Mortgaging a property in Monopoly in terms of a pawn shop
Trading a property in Monopoly for money is just like taking your favourite toy to a grumpy man in a dusty pawn shop.
When you need cash, you flip your property card over to its back side to show it is mortgaged. The bank gives you half of what the property is worth, just like how the man at the shop gives you a few coins for your shiny racing car. You keep the card to show you own it, but you have to pay the bank extra to flip it back over later. It is a bit sad because you cannot collect rent while your card is turned over, much like how your racing car sits on a shelf instead of zooming around the board.
If you are short on pennies to pay a friend, you might have to mortgage everything you own. You watch your colourful board turn into a pile of sad, grey cardboard squares. It feels like leaving your plastic dinosaur in the shop window while you wait to get enough pocket money to buy it back. You really hope you do not land on your friend's fancy blue hotel square, because then you would have to give up your favourite property for good.
Just remember that you have to pay the bank back with interest before you can use your buildings again. It is a slow way to play, but it keeps you in the game for one more turn. You might even win if you are lucky with the dice, but you will always miss having that little car in your pocket.
Where the analogy breaks downIn a real pawn shop you cannot just pay a fee to magically make your item grow back to its full value.