As Edward walks to the jail with Miles Hendon in Chapter 24, he finds that the people on the street greet the spectacle of his impending incarceration with "marvelous indifference". No one seems to care that the king is there, let alone that he is going to jail, and Edward finds that very strange.
Of course, the people on the street have no idea that Edward is the king, which is why, when he is led away, they pay no attention. Edward is used to pomp and circumstance following him wherever he goes, but the streets are virtually deserted at this moment, and the few people who are out are interested in their own affairs,
"anxious to accomplish their errands as quickly as possible and then snugly house themselves from the rising wind and the gathering twilight. They (look) neither to the right nor to the left; they (pay) no attention to (the king's) party, they (do) not even seem to see them".
From all outward appearances, Edward is just another ragged urchin in the big city, but in his heart he is still a king. It is hard for him to get used to the idea that others do not see him as he sees himself, and do not treat him with the respect that he feels he deserves (Chapter 24).
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