At the time Tuan Direktur was written, Surabaya was one of the richer cities in the Dutch East Indies, serving as both a port into the colony and as a stopping point for trade traffic headed to Australia.
Sewaktu novel Tuan Direktur ditulis, Surabaya salah satu kota kaya di Hindia Belanda, melayani baik sebagai pelabuhan untuk koloni maupun sebagai titik lalu lintas perdagangan menuju ke Australia.