"Poverty is an anomaly to rich people; it is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell"

This quote by Walter Bagehot speaks to the disconnect between the rich and the bad. To the wealthy, poverty is an abnormality, something that is hard to understand. Bagehot is recommending that the rich can not comprehend why individuals who are in need of fundamental requirements, such as dinner, do not just ask for help. He is implying that the wealthy are not aware of the pride and pity that can avoid individuals from asking for help. He is likewise suggesting that the rich are not aware of the systemic issues that can avoid people from accessing the resources they require. This quote speaks with the need for higher understanding and empathy between the wealthy and the poor. It is a suggestion that hardship is not a choice, however rather an outcome of systemic problems that need to be dealt with.