In the industrial age, there was a widespread disruption of communities. Traditional methods of charity and redistribution of resources were undermined by the changing policies of the church, the military whims of the government severed trade routes and exchanges of money, and families were scattered as people looked for work. In Charlotte Bronte's Shirley, Caroline Helstone is trying to figure out what to do with her existence as she suffers the disappointment of being prevented from finding vocation. She and the other members of her community find themselves out of work, out of sorts, and in and out of respectable love, and try to make do with what is left over.
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