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World’s End · Theme

Wealth and Poverty

How World’s End develops Wealth and Poverty.

The book contrasts extreme wealth, embodied by Sternhold Baskette's vast but encumbered property, with the grinding poverty of characters like the Sibbold family and the squatters at World's End, showing how wealth often brings misery and moral decay.

Where it surfaces

  • III

    Sternhold's immense wealth contrasts with the squalid poverty of the Sibbolds and Swamp squatters, who are bought out for £300 each and sent to America.

  • IV

    Sternhold Baskette is portrayed as immensely wealthy in property yet living in near-poverty, unable to complete his projects and eating only bread and cheese.

  • The Hero of Stirmingham

    Sternhold's immense nominal wealth contrasts with his frugal living, while his income is squandered on speculative ventures and land purchases.

  • VI

    The chapter contrasts Sternhold's immense wealth with the poverty of the masses, and critiques the hypocrisy of charitable solicitations versus the criminalization of individual begging.

  • VII

    Lucia's pursuit of Sternhold's fortune, the contrast between her lavish spending and Sternhold's actual income, and the parasites' greed highlight the corrupting influence of wealth.

  • Chapter X

    The contrast between the vast potential wealth of the estate and John's actual constrained income of £2,000 per annum, along with his deep debts, highlights the theme of wealth and its illusions.

  • The Tangled Web of Inheritance

    The contrast between the immense potential wealth of the estate and the crushing debts owed by the heirs illustrates the precarious nature of fortune.

  • II

    Aymer's lack of 'golden bullets' and his inability to spend money highlight the theme of poverty as an obstacle to love and social standing.

  • III

    The contrast between Waldron's modest wealth relative to the district and the 'universal idol' of gold highlights the theme of true value versus material riches.

  • The Approaching Nuptials

    Marese's perceived and actual wealth transforms his credit and social reception, while the Stirmingham estate is described as almost incalculably valuable.