Sorrel is the child of a whore and a traveller, starting life at a severe disadvantage from her peers. Much of her childhood was spent trying odd jobs about the town in an attempt to make a little bit of extra coin for she and her mother-- who was not beautiful nor talented, and therefore not prosperous in her work. As for her father, it could have been any of the numerous men that had passed through Bree-town for a night. 

Around the age of 12, Sorrel lost her mother to some foul disease, and was left alone. Prior to her mother's passing, Sorrel had made a serious effort to find honest work for the sake of bringing a few coppers home every day. After the incident, Sorrel turned to the easier and more profitable method of stealing for a living. Spending four years on the streets with other orphaned children taught her a lot of this lifestyle, although she was peripherally aware of it whilst her mother lived. Sorrel now makes her living through petty thievery. She has little intention of hurting others, and seems to just want to survive. She is not above cutting purses or stealing the bread off of someone else's table.