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The original book is out of print. This publication is based on the 1987 edition and reproduces the complete appearance of the novel, which is of unique value. The version of this book was personally revised by the author that year. It is an earlier version of Lun Lun's first novel "Mean Lane", which was written in the early post-World War II era. It depicts the different experiences of people at the bottom of the society, including the writer Gao Huai, the primary school teacher Luo Jian, the unemployed demobilized soldier Du Quan, the briber Mo Lun, and the ambiguous girl Bai Mei. However, they all share the same fate - poverty. They depended on each other in the post-war difficulties and headed towards an unknown future together. The plot is intricate and compact, the suspense is endless, and the blood and tears shed by the characters for life are enough to shake people's hearts; the novel is also recognized as "a symbol of the maturity of Hong Kong literature." The novel went through many twists and turns from publication to publication. The novel was serialized in the "Chinese Business Daily" in 1948, but the newspaper stopped publishing due to personnel changes. At the same time, it experienced changes in publishers. In order to facilitate sales to other places, the title and "Overture" were deleted. Therefore, this book has been rearranged and published based on the author's revised version in 1987, retaining the original "Prelude" part of the novel and appending a postscript to the first edition, allowing readers to have a glimpse of the novel's complete appearance. Is poverty the beginning or the end of tragedy? Let the readers find out!