I spoke to a 50-something man who had failed to keep up with a £20 weekly surcharge and the rent on his flat, and then had his benefits withdrawn by the Department for Work and Pensions’ sanctioning regime: he suddenly had nowhere to live, and was clearly in a state of complete disorientation. The same was true of Jimmy, who was sleeping rough, and described being endlessly tortured by one of the city council’s cruellest policies: its insistence on summarily disposing of people’s tents, with everything they contain.