During Victorian times, workhouses were places where the poor and destitute were forced to live and work in exchange for food and shelter. They were often overcrowded and unsanitary, and the work was often hard and monotonous. Many people who ended up in workhouses were families with young children, single mothers, the elderly, or the disabled. Workhouses were seen as a way to deter people from becoming dependent on public assistance, and they were often used as a form of punishment for those who were deemed to be lazy or immoral.