Oskar Maria Graf's earliest collection of stories is a central work of German workers' literature from the 20th century and is presented here for the first time in its original text since 1922. Graf's stories are "stories of victims." They tell of people from the lowest social strata who fail due to a "hostile environment" or their "dark instincts." Even when inheritances bring them material wealth, they understand nothing about handling money; it cannot make these people happy. With his eight stories, which are impressively relevant, Graf aims not only to "kindly" remind the audience but also to move them, reflecting his lifelong "outrage against any abuse of the weaker by the stronger.".