morality

• ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a didactic novel with many moral messages, giving Dickens a platform to voice his socialist ideas and critique the immorality in Victorian society
• Dickens was critical of laws like the Poor Law 1834, which created union workhouses he believed to be unethical and cruel
• In the Victorian era, morality and philanthropy were linked, with many believing it was a moral duty to contribute to charity, while others thought charity made poverty worse
• Scrooge's transformation in 'A Christmas Carol' illustrates that philanthropy can be about a change in behavior, not just giving money away
• Scrooge's change in attitude and behavior in Stave 5 shows the steps to being a morally good person
• Many moral ideologies in the Victorian era were influenced by the Bible and Christian doctrines, with Dickens expressing his beliefs about religion and morality in the novel
• Through Marley's Ghost, Dickens shows the eternal consequences of living an immoral life grounded in Christian doctrine, resonating with Victorian readers
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge the effects of his death, where people feel relief and joy instead of mourning
• Dickens illustrates a cycle of immorality through the three thieves profiting off Scrooge's effects after his death, showing the consequences of bad behavior and how immorality bleeds immorality