1) Privacy and cultural norms: Victorian people were generally more private than people in other eras, with strict social conventions and expectations about who should keep their feelings and thoughts to themselves. This privacy extended to their inner lives, which they often kept hidden from others, even their close friends and family.
2) Limited sources: Many sources of historical information, such as letters, diaries, and journals, were either not kept or were destroyed during the Victorian era. This means that historians have fewer materials to draw from when studying the inner lives of Victorians.
3) Cultural biases: Victorian culture was dominated by certain dominant narratives, such as the values of respectability, propriety, and moral correctness. These narratives often influenced the way people expressed themselves, making it difficult for historians to understand their true feelings and thoughts.
4) Complexity and diversity: The Victorian era was a time of rapid change and social transformation, and the inner lives of Victorians varied widely depending on their social class, gender, occupation, and region of residence. This complexity makes it difficult for historians to generalize about the inner lives of all Victorians.
5) Language and expression barriers: Victorian culture had its own unique language and style of expression, which can be difficult for modern historians to understand. Subtleties and nuances of language can be lost over time, making it challenging to fully grasp the inner thoughts and emotions of Victorian individuals.