> Insane that this whole thing never mentions once the legions of servants ...

OK but we're talking about a period where the UK was the world's first superpower.

I understand you want to portray the despicable conditions of servants living in rich people's houses in Victorian britain but...

Wanna have a talk about the living conditions of people in, say, Eritrea at the same time? (Eritrea has never really been colonized btw so the whole "it's because of colonialism" angle doesn't really work).

Or even just the living conditions of poor people in Britain who happened to not have jobs as servants for the rich?

My great-uncle (a radiologist) and my great-aunt (she had a pharmacy) had a servant during a bit part of their lives, Tess: and she was basically part of the family. Sure she did the laundry and cooking and cleaning but she never struck me as some oppressed human being living in misery. What I remember from visiting them was my uncle in his office, always working (analyzing radio from patients, writing (snail) mails to other doctors, etc.) and Tess always working too: just a different kind of work.

People getting paid to work for other people doesn't imply slavery. We could of course also have a talk about actual slavery, what were the last countries to officially abolish it, who were the biggest slavers in the world, which countries still have actual slaves (and sex slaves) today, etc.

I'm really not sure the "legion of servants" of Victorian-era elites were the people experiencing the worst living conditions on earth.

Countries in their industrial era are quite literally not unlike third world countries.

England at its Victorian era looks like an overpowered Brazil than anything even close resembling the US now.

> I'm really not sure the "legion of servants" of Victorian-era elites were the people experiencing the worst living conditions on earth.

Indeed not. Being in service provided one of the most desirable careers you could hope for as a working class Victorian. When your options look like pit, mill, or factory, cleaning floors in a nice warm house is a good alternative. And that was just the foot in the door: there was progression available. Those jobs were hard to get, prestigious, came with their own status hierarchy, and could keep you set for life.