Man vs. Society

Man vs. society is a traditional literary theme wherein the character is oppressed by or victimized by society. In Down and Out in Paris and London, the unnamed narrator and his friends face opposition from society on several fronts: the government, their employers, religion, and their landlords.

The government, especially the British government, maintains policies that make it very difficult for poverty-stricken people to survive. One example of this is the law that forbids men to stay more than one night at a spike. To comply with the law, they must walk great distances every day to get to a different spike, which is a waste of time and energy, especially for someone who has not eaten a good meal in a long time.

Employers in the novel make unreasonable demands on the characters. At the Hotel X, the characters work very long hours in oppressive...