You can thank a saint by the name of Vincent de Paul, born in 1581, a devoted Catholic, who worked tirelessly to help the poor. In doing so, he formed a group of women dedicated entirely to works of charity named the Daughters of Charity. One of the marks of their attire as nuns were the bobbing cornets they wore upon their heads.
St. Vincent de Paul today is a well-known organization worldwide. In the day of Suzette, it was a driving force in Paris that aided poor and homeless souls.
However, the east side of Paris was tainted with what they termed "the scum of the earth" - the destitute, poor, and homeless. The rich believed they were nothing more than criminals who were lazy, immoral, and sinful people that led lives of vagabonds, beggars, criminals, or street prostitutes. Of course, those on the brink of starvation turned to drastic measures to survive, so most ended up doing those very same things whether sinners or not in order to survive day to day.
