Children were miserable and did not have a life. They swept chimneys and worked in factories. They didn't get paid and even if they did, children did not get paid very much. Children worked as hard as adults (at least they tried to) and they got nothing!!! The Victorian era was hard for children.Children were miserable and did not have a life. They swept chimneys and worked in factories. They didn't get paid and even if they did, children did not get paid very much. Children worked as hard as adults (at least they tried to) and they got nothing!!! The Victorian era was hard for children.