It's always been expensive to be poor. In Victorian England, if you couldn't afford accommodations, you could sleep outside, but in rainy and/or cold weather, you could pay for a spot inside for a penny (which was worth more 200 years ago). In a city establishment called a doss house, just providing a roof brought in cash from hundreds of itinerant laborers and homeless people. For a penny, though, you didn't get the luxury of sleeping. That would buy you a spot to sit on a bench overnight, called a "penny sit-up."
Double the price and you had a "two-penny hangover." This meant a spot on a bench, and a rope to keep you from falling on the floor when you fell asleep. It also meant a rude awakening when your time was up, because that's when the rope was untied. Or if you were to spend four cents for a night, you could really get a good night's rest -in a wooden box on the floor. This was called a "four-penny coffin." Read about the cost of existing in these doss houses and see pictures at Amusing Planet.
Why wouldn't a person prefer to find the nearest barn, sneak into a garden shed, or construct a small shelter hidden in a wooded area?
Why wouldn't one be allowed to sleep at a 1c sit-up if they could manage it? What else would they do... read by the dim light and have a chat? I guess there's some value in being sheltered from the cold all night, and going out to sleep rough during the warmer daytime.
And while the 4c coffins sound tolerable... Why no bunks to double or triple the capacity, maybe lowering the price a bit?
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