Published in 1912, The House of Pride is a collection of six short stories linked by their location in the Hawaiian Islands and a general theme of race and class within the context of a mobile immigrant culture. London was particularly interested in the way in which American money was influencing Hawaiian culture and he was sympathetic to the native tribes in their struggle against exploitation on a number the levels.
Another theme here is leprosy, which was present in the islands during the time London was visiting. The disease features in the best story in the collection, Koolau the Leper, in which the eponymous character leads a rebellion of lepers against the police and military when they are threatened with deportation.
