Tristan sees prostitutes as victims of the patriarchal society of Victorian London. She says, “…if chastity had not been imposed on the woman for the sake of virtue without the man’s being subjected to the same thing, she would not be pushed from society from yielding to the sentiments of her heart…” (Tristan, 2). Tristan describes how the unfair balance of virtue and sexuality affects women: they would be seduced by men, usually wealthy men, and end up giving up their virginity. The men would then turn on them, having played their game, and move onto the next girl. With women’s sexuality being so closely tied to their identity, they would be disgraced and turned out by the strongly opinionated society. As a result, they have no choice but to turn to prostitution as a source of income. The poem Magdalen supports this idea. It tells the story of a girl who is seduced by a man, she falls in love, and then she is left cold. Without anywhere else to turn, she becomes a prostitute and finds out that she is going to die from some disease. This supports Tristan’s statements. The poem blames society as a whole rather than men or women. The speaker says, “…And there is nothing false nor true; // But in a hideous masquerade // All things dance on, the ages through. // And good is evil, evil good; // Nothing is known or understood // Save only pain” (Levy, 800). The lines speak about the “masquerade” which is the false faces that people wear. They follow the flow of society because that is the system that has been set in place by those in power. Even if it is not “known or understood” it is the lifestyle that the population has become accustomed to. The poem definitely takes a sympathetic tone for the prostitutes who are victims of their society. It is also not quick to cast judgment on those who wrong them either. It offers a more objective look on the affairs that go on.