How did Nights of Cabiria inspire the musical Sweet Charity?

Federico Fellini’s 1957 film Nights of Cabiria served as the direct inspiration for the 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity and its subsequent 1969 film adaptation.1

The original film features the character Cabiria, a good-natured Roman prostitute who remains optimistic despite facing frequent humiliation and being swindled by the men she trusts. This narrative of a resilient, hard-luck woman navigating a difficult world provided the thematic foundation for Sweet Charity, which centers on a similarly vulnerable yet hopeful dime-a-dance hostess.12