With each passing class, I am amazed by the sheer amount of detail and social commentary evident in these Victorian illustrations, revealing how instrumental they were for depicting the social issues of the time period. In today’s class, I was able to examine that quite clearly with Zeinab’s analysis of the beggar illustration within “The Man with the Twisted Lip”. Not only did it address the very Victorian value of classism, but also our lack of development in contemporary Western society. All of the same issues they were talking about in regards to the beggar were still prevalent concerns that I felt were shared in my everyday reality. I found it particularly interesting the caption underneath, “professional beggar”, as it more or less conveyed in a mocking manner that this was a choice for less-fortunately situated individuals. It suggested that these individuals were capable of choosing to be something else, but instead, they would rather be in poverty, which is still very much a myth that I feel a large percentage of the populace shares to this very day. Hugh Boone is depicted menacingly, described as having a “hideous face” and living above the “opium den”, which are all negative stereotypes and exaggerated elements to otherwise identify Boone’s class rank in the social hierarchy. Classism is evident in most Victorian pieces, but this example particularly demonstrates how this period was hallmarked by distinctly defining the rich and poor apart from each other. In this piece, I felt as if both Doyle and Paget were purposefully exaggerating what a proper British citizen should look like (Sherlock Holmes) through exaggerating what an unwanted British citizen was (Boone). Even the disparaging mention of Boone’s physical capabilities as a “cripple” spoke clearly of how the Victorians viewed disabilities. Both the classism and ableism is strikingly obvious and interwoven through the text and illustration with a very capitalistic mindset, I found.