“I’d rather be a live beggar than a dead countess.”
What would happen if
everybody within a certain radius, say the area of Salford, had their egos
dampened for a few summer-filled days?
This is what we find out in Beggars Alive. The good people of Salford know something's going on: the crime rate's dropping, nobody's arguing any more, people are being attracted to each other despite outward appearances and weight issues, attracted by things invisible to the ego. The people of Salford know this isn't normal, but they just can't see what's causing it.
They are aware, however, that the ego-dampening effect wears off if one strays too far from Goldenside Flats. The more clearly our protagonists understand their situation the stronger grows that creeping sensation that things are just too good to last – sooner or later the bubble’s going to burst.
