John’s notion that morality “is all a darkness” echoes the anxieties that were present in England during the early 20th century. After the end of the Victorian era in 1901, social attitudes toward sex became laxer, resulting in a great deal of moral confusion. John’s worldview is particularly bleak—he seems to think that if the rules governing sex erode, then all of society could devolve into moral chaos. Of course, as with anything John says, there is always the possibility that he is lying, thus readers could view his claims of moral purity as suspect.