Class Struggle Politics

Class struggles are presented in the novel not only to add historical accuracy but to correctly portray a major struggle in Victorian era politics. Class struggle was an important issue in Victorian society, as the factories would employ more and more people and take their labor while providing very minimal wages.

Class struggles follow everyone in the novel from London to Essex. Martha stands as the clear cut socialist who is outraged at the housing crisis in London. She uses the wealth and influence of George Spencer, in order to bring about some kind of government action and reform to the working class. Spencer, who becomes obsessed with the same housing politics, takes the role of a guilty feeling petty bourgeois character who, because he does not know what to do with his wealth and is embarrassed by it, decides to put his wealth...