Mrs. Wilson attributes her bad temper to the factory accident that left her permanently weak and in pain. This backstory shows how economic conditions and class exploitation affect the private and emotional lives of the novel’s working-class characters. After all, Mrs. Wilson, who was injured on the job, becomes less kind to her husband than she wants to be. Meanwhile, Jem appeals to Mrs. Wilson’s community-and family-oriented working-class morality to get her to accept Mary; when he asks Mrs. Wilson to accept Mary
for his sake, she marshals her Christian charity to bless Mary.