"The Ministry of Public Decency confiscates all manner of wicked, unsuitable and valuable books."[1]
The Ministry of Public Decency is London’s primary censorship authority, operating under the command of Mr Pages. It enforces strict control over written, spoken, and physical content in the city.
The Ministry heavily regulates the manufacture and ownership of printing presses in London.[2] All publications must be submitted for Ministry evaluation.[3] Public performances also require licenses, which may be obtained either officially or through bribes.[4] Speaking openly about the Correspondence is outlawed entirely.[5] Their Decency Evaluators are known for their thoroughness in rooting out radical ideas, often resorting to burning any subversive material they uncover. However, these evaluators can be deceived by sufficiently obscure innuendos and metaphors,[6] and are often underpaid, making them susceptible to bribery.[7] They are empowered to criminally charge authors of illegal material and imprison them in New Newgate.[8]
The Ministry also enforces strict control over divorce proceedings, [9] subjecting couples to a grueling legal process before a separation can be finalized to their satisfaction.[10][11][12]
Confiscated materials are stored in various secure facilities across the city. The most dangerous items are kept at Hookman House, a heavily guarded site manned by illiterate guards with rifles and guard dogs.[13]
Less critical materials are stored in smaller depositories throughout London.[14] The Ministry also operates vault-furnaces, where vast quantities of forbidden texts are destroyed.[15] Only select Auditors are entrusted with the passwords to the three doors of these vaults.[16] Although the Ministry also has the authority to confiscate souls, they appear less enthusiastic about enforcing this power compared to their zeal for regulating literature.[17]
The Ministry patrols University grounds[18] to monitor students and academics for subversive behavior.[19] Auditors also prowl the streets near the Bazaar to intercept anyone lacking a Shaper’s Pass.[20]
The Constables are partially under the Ministry’s control and act as an extended arm of censorship enforcement.[21] The Ministry employs Special Constables,[22] assigned to deal with and neutralize extremely dangerous threats to public society such as red honey and unwarranted Correspondence.[21] Private detectives are hired to recover stolen forbidden texts,[23] and couriers are employed to transport such texts securely.[24]
The Foreign Office submits monthly reports to the Ministry.[25]
The Ministry has run a number of public institutions and events, including:
↑'Obtain' licences from the Ministry of Public Decency, Fallen London"You fall back on the traditional lubricant for the wheels of bureaucracy. Precious objects, in substantial quantities. Irksome, but […] at least they're efficient. And you pick up some fascinating secrets in the careful pre-bribe negotiations."
↑A few quiet seminars, Fallen London"The Ministry of Public Decency has forbidden speaking about the Correspondence, but a few discreet meetings with masked scholars might be profitable."
↑Bury it deep, Fallen London"The Men from the Ministry are disciplined and intellectually competent. […] You have judged it perfectly. The objectionable sections of your material exceed their grasp by inches. Your work shall not suffer their rough hands or their consuming flames."
↑Come to an equitable arrangement, Fallen London"Decency Evaluators are paid a pittance, but this one is too honest to bribe. Fortunately, you discover with a little digging that he has a desperate need for fine candles."
↑Seek a divorce, Fallen London"Unhappy souls wishing to sever the marital bond may seek a divorce from Her Majesty's Courts. If the Crown - and the Auditors from the Ministry of Public Decency - are satisfied by your petition, they will dissolve your marriage."
↑Testify that love has faded, Fallen London"You present a written account to the Glowering Judge. […] At his request, you read it aloud. You speak of happier times. The Judge listens for any note of uncertainty in your voice. The Auditors examine your deposition for tear-marks."
↑Rob an outlying depository, Fallen London"This place has been forgotten. Most of the material here isn't worth that much, but there is an awful lot of it. On your third trip you bring a cart. It takes a few days to sift the good stuff out, but it is worth the effort. You finish with a creditable pile of forbidden books, scandalous journals and saleable secrets."
↑Play on the last scraps of the Auditor's conscience, Fallen London"He is convinced. […] His passwords open a wooden door, then an iron one, and finally a door of flint. […] Within, a clumsy hill of books is stacked like tinder: […] "Take what you must!" your mark hisses, urgently. You oblige."
↑Steal Brilliant Souls en route to Hookman House, Fallen London"The security precautions for the souls are laughable. Is the Ministry deliberately encouraging you to steal them? Did you get here just before some devils? Perhaps it doesn't matter. The bottles safely stowed in one of your lockups, rattling […]"
↑Deal with the evaluators, Fallen London"If your new department is to become a reality, you must convince the men from the Ministry that you don't represent a threat to order and decency. You must arrange and edit your works to prove yourself entirely harmless."
↑ 21.021.1Talk about the other Special Constables, Fallen London""They work with the Ministry […] does good work too. Keeps the nightmares out of the streets, stops the things from crawling out of the wells […] it's Mr Pages' personal fiefdom. And they're his puppets […] she looks very like the Cheery Man."
↑An unmarked black coach, Fallen London"A Special Constable at your door! The Specials serve the Ministry of Public Decency. One might say they are guardians against the final fall of night, or catspaws of Mr Pages. In either case, they are rarely good news."
↑Escort duty, Fallen London"A senior diplomat and a veteran spy collar you beside the bust of Lord Palmerston. "Would you mind accompanying this month's reports to the archives at Decency?""
↑Prepare your Theft from the Museum of Mistakes!, Fallen London"Very few are permitted to visit the Museum. It's the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Public Decency, which manages secrets too lethal or embarrassing or disgusting for public exposure. […] be very, very careful. […]"
↑Perform a Flash Lay - learn campaign secrets, Fallen London"The Ministry of Public Decency has assumed oversight of the Election. If you can pass as one of their senior officials, you will have both authority and excuse to go snooping about the three campaigns' headquarters.'"
↑The Grand Clearing-Out: An Announcement is Made, Fallen London"[..'.']And then, at the very bottom, in minuscule print: The Ministry of Public Decency reserves the right to inspect, confiscate, destroy, censor, censure, or condemn any items retrieved from Beneath London's Streets."
