It was not an easy time for the not rich, in England there were things called poor laws and workhouses for the poor. Dickens addresses these issues from the beginning of the book. Scrooge receives visitors who want him to make a donation and Scrooge goes to say "Are there no prisons?...And union workhouses?...The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full force. So what?" (Dickens 13-14).Scrooge, points out some of the systems they had at that time for the poor. The Poor Laws were divided into two categories called the New Poor Laws and the Old Poor Laws (History of Workhouses). Both were a set of rules and regulations for non-wealthy people. The History of the Workhouses says that old and young people, families and pregnant girls expelled from their families could stay there. Workhouses had strict rules about bathing before entry and not coming and going every day. Although it was a long in-and-out program, many people often did it multiple times. Workhouses were no fun and people didn't want to stay there. In one of the union workhouses there was an arch familiarly known as the "Arch of Tears" (Entry and Exit Workhouses). You can find a lot of research on the Poor Laws and Workhouses during the Victorian era. Dickens did a good job adding details to his book to make people think about it and want to know more