Which of the following lines best reveals a concern with the social ills of the time? "The evening arrived; the boys took their
places." "The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale."
"...down the river on a strong spring-tide..."
“Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery.”
The line "Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery" reveals a concern with the social ills of the time.
A starving child is definitely indicative of a social ill. Any society that has starving children who are desperate and miserable is a society that has its problems. Therefore, this line reveals a concern with social ills, or problems.