During the Victorian period, the casual wards which provided accommodation to the homeless became the subject of intense interest and concern. The British reformer and social worker Mary Higgs gained entry into several wards as a covert observer. The chapter demonstrates that Higgs used her female position to examine the question of women’s privacy and intimacy, highlighting the threats to their physical integrity and dignity. By publishing Glimpses into the Abyss, Higgs attempted to make homeless women less vulnerable to entering prostitution.