The original idea for Bleak House, Dickens' attack on abuses in the Courts of Chancery, began with an article in Household Words entitled "Martyrs in Chancery." Modern criticism considers Bleak House one of the most important novels of nineteenth century England. Dickens creates a stable of unforgettable characters including Jo, the unfortunate street sweeper who inhabits the desolate monument to Chancery ineptitude, Tom-all-Alones; Miss Flite, the pathetic but hilarious Chancery lunatic; Mr. Turveydrop, the Model of Deportment, and Inspector Bucket, the first police detective in English fiction.