What were the conditions in the workhouses in the victorian times?

During Victorian times, workhouses were designed to be harsh institutions intended to deter people from seeking aid. Conditions were often overcrowded and unsanitary, with inmates facing strict discipline, meager rations, and hard labor. Families were typically separated, and the environment was bleak, leading to high levels of disease and despair among the residents. Overall, workhouses were seen as a last resort for the impoverished and reflected the era's punitive approach to poverty.