Introduction This paper analyzes the novel, Big Sleep, as an authentic depiction of the moral corruption that characterized Los Angeles (L.A) in the 1930s. It investigates different aspects of modern society and highlights corruption as the main theme. Through the same analogy, this paper shows that the text represents modern-day problems, such as distrust, lust, deception, and betrayal, which characterize modern society. Based on this discussion, this paper argues that moral corruption is at the center of these societal problems. However, to understand this argument, it is pertinent to know the distinctive features of the social world that the author describes events in the Big Sleep . Distinctive Features of this Social World The events depicted in the Big Sleep happened in America during the great depression. Although many creative writers and film producers depict L.A as full of glitz and glamour, Chandler (117) depicts the town like a dark, depraved, and dirty society. Based on this representation, the Big Sleep thrives in an “urban jungle” characterized by mystery, evil, and deception. In the same setting, the author shows that L.A has many wealthy people, as depicted through Sternwood’s mansion and harbors illegal activities, as seen through Geiger’s pornography store, which acts as a book library. Mar’s gambling activities also show how L.A’s underground society operates. The sparsely decorated office of Marlowe also shows that the town has a neutral (normal) feel. However, the above-mentioned extremes characterize the novel’s setting as a mixture of many backgrounds, which all blend in one intriguing story of mystery, deception, greed, and lust. Since Marlowe has gained access to all these backgrounds of the L.A life, he easily passes judgment about each setting and explains to the readers how they connect with one another. For example, when Marlow visited the Sternwood mansion, he showed his contempt for the rich. From this understanding, the readers could understand why his office does not have lavish furniture or fittings. This is a sign of his contempt for pretense. Nonetheless, the novel’s setting is dynamic, but representative of the social ills that breed a corrupt society. The View of Modern Society that the Text Represents The Big Sleep represents modern society as a dark and corrupt system that does not consider the interests of its people. Hollywood film directors of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s commonly highlighted this theme through their “Black Film” works. To expound on the dark and corrupt imagery of modern society as highlighted through Chandler’s work, the Big Sleep uses negative environmental connotations, such as “dark,” “Dank,” “fog’ and “moist” to explain different scenes in the novel. These attributes paint a negative picture of Marlowe’s world, further emphasizing the themes of deception and betrayal in the novel. Although the author portrays the L.A scene as a lonely place, the constant reference to the rain could easily make the readers believe that the rain symbolically cleanses the town (as other authors have traditionally used it in other literacy works); however, this is false because the rain fails to purify the “sins” of the characters. Based on this background alone, Marlowe’s cynicism emerges from his hopelessness that emerges through his inability to rid the town of its deep-rooted corruption and mistrust. The hopelessness and cynicism further depict L.A as a depressed town. In the same breadth of analysis, the author highlights a per