When Jacob Riis wrote "kicks and cuffs are their daily diet. They have little else." he was referring to the lamentable daily hardship of the street children. In that scarce line, he painted the picture of how children in the other half live. Starved for more than just food but also from the simple bliss of being children. He brings to light the abuse that those children suffer daily, not just from other people but from their own family too.
