In this secondary source, he depicts himself as a slave, and as someone who has no importance to the world around him. These are very important emotions that you wouldn't necessarily connect with from only reading the primary source. The secondary source is a necessity in this case because it reveals George Orwell's perspective on his life as a Plongeur. If you just read the primary source, without reading the secondary source previously, the text would not be nearly as interesting and you would almost care less about the duties and scenery of a Plongeur without knowing the hardship and emotion that comes with it. The secondary source provides that necessary extra information that helps the reader fully grasp the point that George Orwell is trying to get out within his primary source, Down and Out in Paris and London. .
Some secondary sources are used to describe the scenery that is portrayed within the primary source, and can also contain vital background information that is much needed when trying to grasp the concept of the primary source. A great example of this is within another piece written by George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier. In the primary source, (Chapter 2) Orwell explains how the miners used Davie with an enclosed flame and how families had a staple meal, consisting of a source of meat to eat once a week. Even though the working conditions were bad, and life for families wasn't particularly ideal, people still chose to mine because it was very important to the society. The secondary source (Chapter 9) then leads to the background scenery of how the social classes were different to how the classes are viewed here within the United States. According to Orwell's classes, the "middle class" consisted of the educated, cultured, and more privileged people who formed the strata of society. The secondary source is important in this case because it provides the reader with an understanding of the mining culture that is necessary in order to understand what's going on in the primary source.
