This theme explores the effect of poverty in the local area of Brighton and Hove during the early twentieth century. Many people were living in impoverished conditions at the beginning of the century. The impact of World War One and the effects of the Depression further reduced the quality of their lives.

The extracts paint a bleak picture of unemployment, hunger, debt, bad housing and illness. However, this is offset by the attitude of the writers, who often remember this period with affection, and who question the cultural effect of changes brought in to improve conditions.