During the Victorian era in England, many children lived in poverty and had to work from a very young age to support their families. They worked long hours in dangerous conditions without proper safety equipment or healthcare. Child labor was common in factories and industries, where children as young as 5 or 6 worked alongside adults. Only wealthy families could afford to send their children to school, so most poor children received no education. Conditions for poor and working children were often unsanitary and unhealthy, with long work days and little access to necessities like adequate food and housing.