his songs were bitter and realistic and rooted in the poverty and life of the east enders who were his audience. the appeal to his audience, many of whom were poor, proved to be a relief to the working classes of society within london. his act would encourage his audience to laugh at the difficulties of working class life, and to celebrate one's capacity for survival. some songs would go further and openly reject establishment values of hard work and moral rectitude. his song "wait until the work comes round" was specifically written for the unemployed people of victorian london.