# XLV: Curious Shifts of the Poor explained — Sister Carrie > Chapter companion for Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. ## What happens Hurstwood, now destitute and living in cheap lodging-houses, watches his money dwindle and his health decline. He sees notices of Carrie's success and eventually decides to beg her for help, but fails to approach her. After running out of money, he seeks work at the Broadway Central hotel, where he is given a menial job but struggles to fit in. ## Themes in this chapter ### Poverty and Survival Hurstwood's descent into extreme poverty is depicted in detail, from counting his last cents to seeking menial work and considering begging. ### Social Class and Mobility The stark contrast between Hurstwood's former life as a manager and his current destitution highlights the precariousness of social class. ### Urban Modernity and Alienation Hurstwood is alienated in the bustling city, surrounded by wealth and entertainment yet utterly alone and ignored. ## Character check-ins ### George Hurstwood Hurstwood is now impoverished, living in a fifteen-cent lodging-house, and his health and appearance have deteriorated. He attempts to find work and considers begging. ### Caroline Meeber Carrie is mentioned as a successful actress, with her picture in newspapers and posters; Hurstwood sees her as distant and successful. ### Sagar Morrison Morrison appears in Hurstwood's memory, discussing a real estate investment in Chicago. ## Key lines > The gloomy Hurstwood, sitting in his cheap hotel, where he had taken refuge with seventy dollars—the price of his furniture—between him and nothing, saw a hot summer out and a cool fall in, reading. Hurstwood, depressed and living in a cheap hotel with only seventy dollars from selling his furniture, spent the summer and fall reading. _Establishes Hurstwood's poverty and passive state._ > He was not wholly indifferent to the fact that his money was slipping away. As fifty cents after fifty cents were paid out for a day’s lodging he became uneasy, and finally took a cheaper room—thirty-five cents a day—to make his money last longer. He was aware his money was running out, so he moved to a cheaper room to stretch it. _Shows Hurstwood's gradual descent into deeper poverty._ > Frequently he saw notices of Carrie. Her picture was in the World once or twice, and an old Herald he found in a chair informed him that she had recently appeared with some others at a benefit for something or other. He often saw Carrie's name and picture in newspapers, learning of her success. _Highlights the contrast between Carrie's rising fame and Hurstwood's decline._ > When all but twenty dollars of his money was gone, he moved to a fifteen-cent lodging-house in the Bowery, where there was a bare lounging-room filled with tables and benches as well as some chairs. With only twenty dollars left, he moved to a very cheap lodging-house in the Bowery. _Marks a further step in Hurstwood's descent._ > He was unconscious of just how much this habit had hold of him until one day he found his lips repeating an old answer he had made to one of his friends. He didn't realize how much he dwelled on the past until he caught himself speaking old conversations aloud. _Illustrates Hurstwood's psychological decline and nostalgia._ > One day, looking down the ad columns of the Evening World, he saw where a new play was at the Casino. Instantly, he came to a mental halt. Carrie had gone! Seeing an ad for a new play at the Casino, he realized Carrie had left town. _Shows Hurstwood's dependence on Carrie's presence for comfort._ > Impelled by a nervous fear, he rose and went into the dingy hall, where he counted his remaining money, unseen. There were but ten dollars in all. Anxious, he counted his money and found only ten dollars left. _Highlights his financial desperation._ > He had saved and counted until his health was affected. His stoutness had gone. With it, even the semblance of a fit in his clothes. His health deteriorated from saving and counting money; he lost weight and his clothes no longer fit. _Shows the physical toll of poverty._ > Summoning all his courage, he crossed to Broadway and up to the Broadway Central hotel. Within a block he halted, undecided. Gathering his courage, he went to the Broadway Central hotel but hesitated before entering. _Depicts Hurstwood's struggle to seek help._ > The comfortable manager looked at him, as much as to say: 'Well, I should judge so.' The manager's look suggested he could see Hurstwood was in dire straits. _Emphasizes the class divide and judgment Hurstwood faces._ > Thus was Hurstwood installed in the Broadway Central, but not for long. He was in no shape or mood to do the scrub work that exists about the foundation of every hotel. Hurstwood got a job at the hotel but was unsuited for the menial labor and didn't last long. _Foreshadows his continued decline._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sister_carrie_se/chapters/xlv-curious-shifts-of-the-poor - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sister_carrie_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sister_carrie_se/chapters