Merrick left school aged 13, which was usual for the time. His home life was now "a perfect misery", and neither his father nor his stepmother demonstrated affection toward him. He ran away "two or three" times, but was taken back by his father each time. At 13, he found work rolling cigars in a factory, but after three years, the deformity of his right hand had worsened to the extent that he no longer had the dexterity required for the job. Now unemployed, he spent his days wandering the streets, looking for work and avoiding his stepmother's taunts.
Merrick left school aged 13, which was usual for the time His home life was now "a perfect misery", and neither his father nor his stepmother demonstrated affection toward him. He ran away "two or three" times, but was taken back by his father each time. At .13, he found work rolling cigars in a factory, but after three years, the deformity of his right hand had worsened to the extent that he no longer had the dexterity required for the job. Now unemployed, he spent his days wandering the streets, looking for work and avoiding his stepmother's taunts.