# Class and Social Hierarchy in The Crime at Black Dudley

> Theme guide for The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham.

The house party includes aristocrats, scholars, and criminals, with tensions arising from social status, as seen in Wyatt's disillusionment with a woman from a lower class and the gang's manipulation of social roles.

## Where it surfaces

- [Candlelight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/i-candlelight): The party includes a mix of scholars, socialites, and athletes, highlighting social distinctions and the old-money setting of Black Dudley.
- [XXIII: An Error in Taste](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/xxiii-an-error-in-taste): The hunt's arrival represents the local gentry and their authority, contrasting with the criminal underworld of Dawlish and Von Faber.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/themes/class_and_social_hierarchy
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/themes