Many characters in the book are depicted in a grotesque manner; the story also happens to be set in a lower-class milieu. This may cause some concern for readers who make connections between the two elements and assume that the book is passing judgment on the underprivileged. To some extent, there may be some correlation between the setting and the characterizations.

It makes sense that less educated people will live in less expensive neighborhoods or that a grubby ex-convict could only find work in a cheap apartment house. But it would be a mistake for readers to think the author is looking down at these characters.

They may speak differently or look different from other people, but they are usually depicted here with compassion: Frank cheerfully endures his facial deformities, while Mary B. takes off her thick glasses "so she could be regular for a while...