The Greatest Showman: March One-Shots

9. Rule

mentions of racism ; absolutely nothing included in this is my own opinion

 
Don't interact with the lower classes. That was the rule. They're dirty and inconsiderate and are probably infested with enough diseases to kill the whole city. We don't need their problems, fathers would say. We have enough of our own. When we pass the homeless, we pretend they don't exist. You understand? And children would just nod. Because that was the rule.

Always dress like you're headed to a fancy party. That was the rule. For boys, it was a tailcoat and freshly polished shoes. For girls, it was a dress and a shawl. We want people to stare at us, mothers would say. We want them to be jealous of our wealth and wish they were us. You understand? And children would just nod. Because that was the rule.

Don't even lay your eyes on someone of the darker race. That was the rule. They're crazy, germ-filled rioters who have the audacity to try to gain some civil rights. They probably all know how to assemble a bomb and blow up the whole city, fathers would say. They don't deserve a place in this world. You understand? And children would just nod. Because that was the rule.

Don't think you're allowed to just "marry." That was the rule. There are guidelines and boundaries. The upper class marries the upper class, mothers would say. And there's nothing else to it. We have to carry on the family name. There are not enough people like us in this world. Marry who you're supposed to, not because you love them. You understand? And children would just nod. Because that was the rule.

So, when Phillip saw Anne that first day at P.T. Barnum's circus, he knew he was in trouble.