|
"[This
child] had a father and a mother. But his father never thought of
him, and his mother did not love him. He was one of those children
so deserving of pity from all, who have fathers and mothers, and
yet are orphans. This little boy never felt so happy as when in
the street. The pavement was not so hard to him as the heart of
his mother. His parents had thrown him out into life with a kick."
Victor
Hugo, Les Misérables,
Marius Book I, Chapter XIII
Domestic life for the
lower class was, in many respects, less subject to scrutiny than
that of the bourgeoisie. For example, while marriage among the wealthy
was an elaborately orchestrated event, it was often of relative
unimportance for their poorer contemporaries. Couples were older
on average when they did wed, and lavish ceremonies like that of
Marius and Cosette proved far beyond their capacities. Working class
families did not share the stigma regarding cohabitation, and consensual
unions, even those involving children, were a common occurrence.
Above all, the family network formed the backbone of impoverished
districts.
|
