The African children in this scene are another example of racism in the novel. While there are some elements of truth to Agatha Christie’s portrayal (there would certainly have been poverty in Egypt at the time), the description of the children as “small black figures” and the way Mrs. Allerton reacts to them are demeaning. As with the street vendors earlier, here all the Africans are portrayed in a racist way, as one faceless mass of poverty. It is particularly strange that Poirot, who is depicted as an impartial defender of justice throughout the book, shoos the children away and takes Mrs. Allerton’s side.