Charles West, formerly a miner and more lately a janitor, received underwear from the relief organisation and, upon our visit, begged that it be changed for shoes for his wife. ‘I can get along without underwear,’ he said. ‘Give the missus some shoes instead.’ Mrs West shrank back in embarrassment, flushed and stammered refusal. Both are real people. Own their home. Owe two years’ back taxes. Mrs West’s father, an invalid, lives with them. He’s eighty; they’re over fifty … The home is spotless. Clothes needed badly.
