'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of Victorian London

Victorian London was noisy, overcrowded and diverse, with people from various cultural backgrounds and social classes. The Industrial Revolution transformed the city, worsening pollution and widening the class divide. The poor lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions, with little support available to improve their lives. Dickens campaigned for social reform and the novella encouraged middle-class readers to show compassion for the poor. Descriptions of the setting foreshadow how this ghost story exposes the harsh realities of poverty in Victorian London.