The child of poverty, conversely, has no such leisure. Far from looking for sources of entertainment or anticipating new toys, such a child may be working more than ten hours per day. (In 1850, an act was passed limiting working hours for women and children to ten hours a day; later the act was extended to limit working hours to 10.5 hours for all workers.) In Britain, compulsory education for children wasn't required until 1870; although "ragged schools" existed before this, education was primarily reserved for the upper classes.

America was certainly not without poverty, but tended to regard success as a result of personal effort rather than heredity. The concept of free education for all was established in the earliest days of the colonies, which meant that children of all economic levels had access to education more than a century before such options existed in Britain. Child labor, however, was widespread in America, with a succession of laws regarding hours and minimum working ages coming into effect throughout the 19th century.

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