"Only the old are innocent. That is what the Victorians understood, and the Christians. Original sin is a property of the young. The old grow beyond corruption very quickly"

This quote by Malcolm Bradbury suggests that innocence is something that is just discovered in the senior. He indicates that the Victorians and Christians understood this idea, as they believed in the concept of original sin, which is the idea that all human beings are born with a predisposition to sin. Bradbury suggests that this is a trait of the young, which as individuals age, they become less and less corrupt. This might be interpreted as an indication of wisdom and maturity, as the elderly have had more time to gain from their errors and grow beyond them. It might likewise be viewed as an indication of hope, as it implies that even if somebody has actually made errors in their life, they can still grow and become better people.