They’re entwined. It’s not just a coincidence. It’s a moral precept. And it’s a radical one, for the nineteenth century. It’s the darkness at the heart of Dickens’s world. Underneath all the fun stuff—and that fun stuff’s important, don’t misunderstand—these books are angry: about children being forced into workhouses and indentured servitude, about people being hanged or transported for stealing to feed their families, about ignorance and cruelty and complacency. About failure to recognize common humanity.”