“Virtue knows that it is impossible to get on without compromise, and tunes herself, as it were, a trifle sharp to allow for an inevitable fall in playing.”

English novelist and satirist of the late 19th century, Samuel Butler is best known for his dystopian novel *Erewhon*, a scathing critique of Victorian society and technological progress. His sharp wit and speculative fiction also extend to *The Way of All Flesh*, a semi-autobiographical novel exploring human nature and moral hypocrisy.