The year 1873 was of great importance for the moral climate of Vienna. The decisive event was the disastrous crash of the Stock Exchange which at one stroke turned wealthy men into beggars. Many of them were bankrupt, a few could recover financially but had to give up their lovers for financial reasons.
All those girls having affairs with married men were ruined as they had no occupation of their own. For many there was no other choice but to look for several men as „"providers" and thus ensure their own survival. The former capricious mistresses of the pre-1873 era became "hired women". The sociological background of the operetta "Die Fledermaus" is to be seen in this insecure period.