In the novellaMaggie: A Girl of the Streets?, brutality, of the setting and the characters, plays a huge role in Maggie Johnson's life. For her, growing up in New York City meant living without decent food, shelter, clothing, education and medical attention. Not only was her body starved, there was not nearly enough good will, sympathy, understanding or love to nourish her soul. Maggie's introduction to humanity started in the tenement houses and gutters, with the neighboring drug addicts, alcoholics and abusers to guide her. Her vulnerability and sympathetic nature define her as weak, and in this society the weakest are rooted out by the strongest, most malicious characters- Darwin's theory of competition put to life. In this tragic tale by Stephen Crane, the people dearest to Maggie's heart take turns in ripping it to shreds, causing its beating to slowly whither and halt. The draining of Maggie Johnson doesn't take long, but it is relentless and unforgiving.
             Her victimization starts the day nature's cruel forces cast her into the slums of New York and will continue until the streets of her home finally devour her completely.
             The woman who bore Maggie, a mother in name only, is as hostile as one could imagine and begins the trend of abuse. Mrs. Johnson is a violent, depressed drunk and a fitting initiator into the survival game that is life in New York. Unlike the nurturing figures we come to think of as mothers, Maggie's mom is remarkably fierce and hateful. The constant domestic violence at home shapes Maggie into a pitiful creature, always dodging from flying fists and stinging insults. On page 13, after a particularly nasty, if not uncommon brawl between the Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, little Jimmie comes home after fleeing the scene to find his parents unconcious on the floor and his sister in shock. 'the sound of a small voice came to him'the thin, white face of his sister looked at him from the door-way of the other room...