In his visit to the United States in 1867–68, Charles Dickens memorably captured the paradoxical uniformity of self-made young men: “300 boarding houses in West 14th Street, exactly alike, with 300 young men, exactly alike, sleeping in 300 hall bedrooms, exactly alike, with 300 dress suits, exactly alike, lying on so many chairs, exactly alike, beside the bed.” These young men fitted uneasily within the republican home.
