Dickens was born into a family of 8 children and was not well off as a child. His dad was sent to prison for debts unpaid and Dickens was sent to the work house – these experiences gave him an understanding and sympathy for the poor which is evidenced in A Christmas Carol. He would often walk the streets of London at night and so many of his scenes are inspired by the realities of life in London during the Victorian era, he was very concerned about societies treatment of the poor and felt they were ignored by society or treated and judged cruelly and unfairly.
