# Class and Exploitation in When God Laughs

> Theme guide for When God Laughs by Jack London.

Stories like 'The Apostate' and the tale of Bloody Vange depict the brutal conditions of industrial and colonial labor, highlighting the systemic exploitation of workers and slaves by a ruling class that controls wealth, law, and punishment.

## Where it surfaces

- [The Apostate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/chapters/the-apostate): Johnny's forced labor at the mill, the threat of being docked, and his mother's sacrifice of her own food illustrate the exploitation of the working class.
- [The Chinago](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/chapters/the-chinago): The dehumanization of Chinese laborers as interchangeable commodities, exemplified by the authorities' willingness to execute the wrong man.
- [A Curious Fragment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/chapters/a-curious-fragment): The chapter vividly depicts the exploitation of slaves in Hell's Bottom, the corruption of overseers, and the systemic injustice of the master-slave hierarchy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/themes/class_and_exploitation
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/themes