Wilbur Budd’s intense ambition is rooted in the specific sociohistorical landscape of his youth: working-class Sheffield in the decades following World War II. The city suffered immense damage during the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940. Over two nights of bombing raids by the German Luftwaffe, “Almost 700 people were killed during the air raids [and] [o]ver 82,000 houses of a total stock of 150,000 were damaged” (“Sheffield Blitz research guide.” Sheffield Libraries Archives and Information). Whole streets were reduced to rubble and much of the city’s industrial infrastructure, such as the steelworks—central to Sheffield’s economy—were devastated. The Midnight Train depicts a community still bearing the scars of this destruction. Wilbur’s childhood is defined by economic hardship and the lingering effects of wartime trauma, a reality underscored by Britain’s prolonged period of post-war austerity, with rationing not fully ending until 1954. This environment of scarcity fuels his desperate need to escape poverty and achieve material success at any cost.

The backstory of Wilbur’s working-class origins in Sheffield provides an important lens for the novel’s critique of modern “hustle culture,” a phenomenon often associated with late-stage capitalism. Ellie Burrow defines this culture as one that “glorifies constant work, long hours, and a lack of boundaries between personal and professional life” (Burrow, Ellie. “What are the Dangers of ‘Hustle Culture’?” Rutherford). Motivated by a resolve to escape the austerity of his childhood, Wilbur’s life path mirrors that of modern entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. Musk’s well-known assertion, “Nobody ever changed the world in 40 hours a week” (Cohen, Roger. “The Harm in Hustle Culture.” New York Times, 1 Feb. 2019), encapsulates the concept that success and innovations are directly attributable to a demanding work ethic. In Haig’s novel, Wilbur’s single-minded focus on growing his business empire, Budd Books, at the expense of his relationships and mental health is a cautionary tale. His ultimate emotional bankruptcy suggests that the drive for success, when born from unhealed trauma and scarcity, can lead to a deep and lonely void.