The Wasp — 1879 — page 43: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel satirical narrative depicts ingratitude through a moral fable. The sequence shows: 1-2: Young men seeking opportunity, spotting a farmer's generosity 3-4: The farmer helps them, but they repay him with lies and newspaper slander 5-6: The farmer beats them in response; they flee "cast down in spirit" The satire targets **ungrateful beneficiaries** who betray those who help them, particularly through false newspaper accounts. The "small boy" reference in panel 5 suggests the victims are portrayed as childlike in their ingratitude despite receiving aid. This appears to be social commentary on breaches of gratitude and loyalty—a common Victorian moral theme. The farmer represents an honest, generous figure betrayed by duplicitous individuals who weaponize the press against him. The crude violence in the final panels reflects period attitudes about deserved comeuppance for ingrates.