A series of vignettes, most with little plot development, of the life of the lumpenproletariate in late 19thC London. Depressing as the stories are, Morrison has little sympathy for his characters, who are generally the victims of their own poor judgement or worse. The story "Three Rounds" about an aspiring boxer is the only one which gets beyond condescension. A shocker in its day, now probably of interest only to urban or literary historians.