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A few years ago I went to an exhibition about Charles Dickens at the Museum of London. The exhibition tried to depict something of the poverty and misery that was the daily experience of many people in the city at the time.

One of the paintings on display was by the Victorian painter Arthur Boyd Hougton and called Itinerant Singers (painted 1860).

The painting shows a family of beggars singing in the street while most of the public ignore them (not so different from today perhaps?)

I suppose we read into these paintings what we want, but for me it is the look of despair in the faces of the family (especially the mother) that has always made me remember this painting.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUIByNNCbOI/UWL76CayOjI/AAAAAAAAeM...

The painting shows a family of beggars singing in the street while most of the public ignore them (not so different from today perhaps?)

FWIW: That general attitude is rampant today.

I think the photo at the top of the article is interesting in just how many of the people there are quite old. Really makes you appreciate the social safety nets that we have today.
Context is important, things are far better now, and the Victorian era was far better than the one that preceeded.
Interesting article. It seems some things are still very similar to the past.