Character Analysis
Mrs. Jukniene manages an apartment in a tenement house. (For some really cool photographs of what tenements are and what they looked like back in the day, check out this link to New York City's tenement museum. It's well worth a look.) Mrs. Jukniene's apartment has four rooms, and there are dozens of people sleeping there. Not only are there a ton of people occupying a very small apartment, but Mrs. Jukniene's hygiene is not of the best. She lets her chickens roam through the apartment pecking at the floor. Sure, the chickens keep the roaches down, but you have to wonder what happens to all the chicken poo. Mrs. Jukniene's heart is in the right place, and she assists Ona in her final illness once Jurgis's family has been booted out of their house. Still, she is also a small time slumlord.