Oliver Twist was written during the 1830's. During this time England was undergoing many changes. England was transforming from a rural agricultural economy to an urban industrial society. During this time the middle class reached a point to where they had as much influence as the British aristocrats. During the 1830's Britain was a very class conscious society, the middle class was desperately trying to gain their share in political power which brought about a new voting system. Although Oliver Twist was fiction it accurately portrayed many parts of society during this time period. Crime and poverty are two very real issues that people dealt with during this time.
             From the time Oliver was born he was born into poverty. When his mother gave birth the parish surgeon and a drunken nurse were there. After his mother died they sent him to live off in a workhouse for poor children. The workhouses that children stayed in were very poorly run. Most of the people that ran them kept most of the money instead of using it for feeding the children. There were many deaths of children during this time in these houses. Instead of letting the children starve quickly on the street they would let them starve slowly in the workhouses.
             Oliver had a rough childhood living in the workhouses. The authorities gave a chimney sweep three pounds to take Oliver off their hands. Under the supervision of this chimney sweep a few children had died. When the magistrate heard Oliver's request not to be left with Mr. Gamfield they put him back in the workhouse. The workhouses were not very concerned with the well-being of the children because the workhouse board thought about putting Oliver out to sea as a cabin boy and figure he would die soon after. These poor houses were put into effect by the middle class to raise the poor children while poor husbands and wives were separated to discourage
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