The Price of a Secret
A small-town tragedy of manners reveals how gossip and moral judgment destroyed one man's attempt to reintegrate into society after prison.
Mrs. Lamberton suddenly changed the conversation. 'You know that Flossing fellow who went to State prison four or five years ago is out? I do hope nobody finds out. Fanny is a real good girl, and she is dreadfully anxious that Tom will do well; and of course if it gets out he's been in prison it'll be almost impossible for him to get anything to do.' By the afternoon, Mrs. Lamberton visited a score of acquaintances, relating the story of the Flossings, and repeating the hope that it wouldn't get out. A day or two later, she met Miss Flossing, who was in tears. 'I've tried, and tried; but it's no use. Nobody will hire him. Somebody has been around and told everybody about him, and it's no use.' Mrs. Lamberton mingled her tears with Fanny's, wondering who could have told it, at the same time sincerely hoping that if Tom were given half a chance, he would get a place.
“I hope for his sister's sake, if not for his own, that nobody will mention anything about his past life. It ought to be kept a secret.”
This 1884 piece captures the perennial struggle of 'ban the box' and reintegration, illustrating that social stigma can be as much of a barrier to employment as legal records. Even in the 19th century, the 'helpful neighbor' acting as a gossip vector remained a primary mechanism of civic exclusion.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.