The United Kingdom in 1887 was ruled over by Queen Victoria, who had been the ruling monarch for over four decades. Her reign was long and prosperous, and allowed for an educated middle class to take shape. This educated middle class is what the Victorian Era is named for. The Victorians were known for having distinct social classes.
Etiquette was something that was thought highly of and strictly adhered to in response to the "looser" rules of the Georgian Era. There were many rules and the time era is often referred to as "prudish," though some would argue that it was simply because they thought highly of modesty.
Courtship between ladies and gentleman had one goal- to end in marriage. The decision to get married was more of a political move than a romantic one. While romance was involved, both the man and woman needed to calculate how the marriage might benefit themselves and was never entered into lightly. Once married, any property that the woman might own then would belong to the man.
The class divides of the Victorian Era were extreme. The - usually old money - upper class was focused more than anything on self-preservation; of themselves, their family, and their way of life. The middle class is new within the last century and still forming itself, and the working class consisted of the vast majority of the population, which was gaining more rights and an increased quality of life.
Now, think of all this and add the wizarding world into it. Due to the strict belief of adhering to normalcy no matter the cost, the muggles of the Victorian Era forced the wizarding families to go into exile. In 1877, they were not accepted at social functions, they were fired from their jobs and some were even violently chased out of town. Slowly, they all began to filter into the village of Hogsmeade- right outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Houses were built and refurnished, business created and reestablished, and the wizarding families created a society of their own.
However, the issues of class and normalcy are still the most important thing - more than ever as we march towards the twentieth century.
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