The worth of the beings inside the canvas shouldn't be about sentience or sapience, since we can't know that for sure either way. What we do know are certain facts about their existence. Human life is precious because it is ephemeral and fragile; it cannot be made, unmade and remade on a whim. Therefore, the beings inside the canvas are not as precious as real human lives. This does not mean that they are worthless, before you want to put those words into my mouth.
