past

• The Ghost of Christmas Past leads Scrooge to reach certain conclusions by making calculated comments that force him to reflect on his recent behavior and compare it to his past
• Scrooge tries to extinguish the Ghost's light


  But cannot hide the light, showing that good will prevail and Scrooge will be redeemed
• The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge's past to help him understand why he is the way he is and empathize with him, making his redemption more plausible
• Dickens is trying to make the point that Scrooge has to reflect on his past to understand his present, and the same applies to the readers