Taking Chicago South Side as the background, Studs Lonigan: a Trilogy diachronically presents Studs Lonigan's growing process from 15 to 29 years old. There is a change about growing surroundings in his short-lived life: from home, schools and churches to streets, poolrooms, harsh houses and parks; his education undertakers from parents, nuns, and priests to the gang he joined. The former spaces represent the influence of Irish immigrants; the latter spaces represent the images of modern industrial cities. These urban spaces reflect the features of morbid lives in Chicago South Side: insularity, ignorance, isolation and spirit poverty.