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It's December 19th, 1931, inside a city pub in East London. A gangly, sad-looking young man

sits slumped at a corner table. His eyes heavy-litted with drink.

28-year-old Eric Blair has already had five pints of beer and almost an entire bottle of whiskey.

The alcohol coursing through Eric's bloodstream numbs his senses.

Eric is an aspiring writer who wants to document the lives of the poor and downtrod.

For several months now, he's been immersing himself in London's squalid east end,

observing the experiences of the people who live here.

Tonight, Eric intends to go one step further.

He wants to get arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct and be forced to spend the night in jail.

He then hopes to turn his experience behind bars into a newspaper article about London's

criminal underbelly. When the barman rings for last orders,

Eric heaves himself up from the table and picks his way unsteadily across the room

and motions for the barman to pour him another whiskey.

Eric raises the glass to his lips and gulps the liquor down.

With the room spinning, Eric turns and staggers toward the exit.

In his moth-eaten suit and flat cap, Eric shuffles off down the street, a cold night air

stinging his cheeks. Up ahead, he spots two police constables patrolling the sidewalk,

and Eric seizes the opportunity. He lurches up to the officers, deliberately stumbling in front

of them, drunk only weaving left and right. The constables don't hesitate.

...