Orwell dives into the grim reality of working-class life in 1930s northern England. The first half is raw reportage: miners living in cramped, filthy housing, working brutal shifts underground, and scraping by on low wages. He does not romanticise it, he shows the dirt, the hunger, the exhaustion, and the quiet dignity of people just trying to survive. The second half flips the lens: Orwell turns inward, reflecting on his own middle-class background and why so many people resist socialism, even when it could help them. He is blunt about class prejudice, snobbery, and the off-putting quirks of some socialist activists. His message: if we want real change, we need to face the truth, about poverty, about politics, and about ourselves.