Viewing poverty is a complicated matter. Literary and film genres regularly harness human misery – coming-of-age stories, migration tales and, of course, the proverbial rags-to-riches stories. These narrative tropes “work” by propelling protagonists out of misery. Audiences, it seems, enjoy watching nice, destitute people pull themselves from the ditch of penury. It can renew your flagging sense of optimism about your own life – the human condition, late capitalism, the ...