Gardner was concerned about poor people getting a fair shake from the law, viewing himself as an advocate for underdogs. As a lawyer, he often defended Chinese-Americans and Mexican-Americans who were too poor to pay him. His Perry Mason novels refleet his advocacy of the rights of the weak and of the impoverished. In The Case of the Grinning Gorilla, Mason defends Mrs. Josephine Kempton, a housekeeper who has been slandered by her former employer, the millionaire Benjamin Addicks. Later, having been accused of the murder of Addicks, she is shown to be a victim of rich and powerful people. As is the case with most of Mason's clients, she needs a lawyer who will give her the full protection of the law.