Ignorance and want

• • represent manifestations of the disease of poverty.
  • The ignorance that the upper-class have towards the plight of the want and greed that they display prevents them from assisting those who
  • during the nineteenth century philanthropy (charity) was becoming more popular, and so it is significant that Dickens picked up on these two factors.
  • He may have been pushing readers towards a philanthropic mindset to try and change attitudes towards the poor.
• • "stale and shrivelled hand like that of age"

  • epitomises the impact that poverty had on children during the Victorian era, as children were forced to grow up faster
  • children were made to work in factories from as early as nine years old in order to bring in some income for their families
  • those in poverty focus only on the present rather than planning for the future, as they lack the resources to
  • instead of receiving the long-term benefits of an education, they made to join the workforce to receive wages