You and I and the Wilcoxes stand upon money as upon islands. It is so firm beneath our feet that we forget its very existence. It's only when we see someone near us tottering that we realize all that an independent income means. Last night, when we were talking up here around the fire, I began to think that the very soul of the world is economic, and that the lowest abyss is not the absence of love, but the absence of coin. E. M. Forster tackles the issues surrounding the clash of emerging modernity and traditional manners in Edwardian Britain. Howards End is a novel about two very different kinds of families. The Schlegal sisters, Margaret and Helen, are modern women, educated and socially aware, tired of old-fashioned manners and men's chivalry. The Wilcoxes, on the other hand, are all about property, respectability, keeping up appearances and the reputation of the family name. The two families come together, intertwine and inevitably clash. The common factor, as well a...