Jacob Marley’s tormented ghost asks Scrooge the one question on which everything depends: “Man of the worldly mind, do you believe in me or not?” The immortal soul might just be an illusion thrown up by the deceived senses. But if it’s truly there, all the rest follows naturally: the justified pangs of conscience; the reality of love; the unity of personality through past, present, and future; the miracle of redemption.
