A series of observational essays and sketches explores itinerant life in camps, lodging-houses, prisons, and towns, recording practical details of survival and daily routine. The author compares national types and individual habits, recounting common tricks, slang, earnings, and methods of obtaining charity. Discussions examine laws, frauds, and social attitudes toward vagrancy, while occasional reflections consider literary ambition, fame, and the quiet dignity, humour, and hardship found among society's margins.