George Orwell describes his personal experiences living among the poor and homeless in Paris and in London. He describes the everyday struggles of people who often went days without anything to eat. Telling the stories of many of the people he spent time with brings their world to life. The book concludes with a short essay urging people to view tramps in a better light.

I just returned from a 4 star hotel visit to London and Paris and found this book to really open my eyes to what life outside of luxury is like. It really makes you think about what you really need to survive and live happily. Orwell demonstrates that life is richly satisfying with or without money and that, as his character Paddy shows, every man can be down and out and still be an intellectual seeker.Also enjoyable are the many debates Orwell poses about the futility of most working class jobs and the questionable political principles surrounding the operation of "poor-houses" in major cities.I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants the chance to think about what one really needs in life in order to truly LIVE. Marvelous.