The language used for the narration of the story is fairly simple, allowing the narrative to flow gently and to be easy to understand. Characters speak differently, as they come from a Victorian world. The way a character talks, and the language he or she uses, indicates their place in society. In Victorian times, there were much greater gaps between different social classes, reflected in their speech and accents. For example, Sally speaks very properly, without using colloquialisms, in a similar manner to Frederick and Rosa.