ry possible description" (209). Mudlarks would often find themselves in prison for petty theft, a place they preferred to the streets and banks of the Thames. One boy who had been imprisoned said he preferred prison "for while he staid there he wore a coat and shoes and stockings; and though he had not over much to eat, he certainly was never afraid of going to bed without anything at all" (210). Mayhew goes on to tell the stories of several children with "painful uniformity," and makes the generalization that "the majority of this class are ignorant, and without even the rudiments of education" (213). Not once throughout this entire piece does she mention any help being provided from the government or anybody else to help this impoverished, uneducated class. This d
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