Ignorance and Want are expressed as two needy children who cling to the coattails of the Ghost of Christmas Present. They represent the moral failings of humanity generally and Ebenezer Scrooge specifically. When children are not educated (Ignorance), they cannot be free to prosper and to give back to society. They cannot use intelligence to better themselves and others. When children are hungry (Want), they are in the same situation as those who are ignorant. Dickens believed that ignorance and want would doom a society. In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge scoffs at the poor. He does not believe in giving charity but rather feels the poor belong in jails and poorhouses. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him that he is responsible for them just as he is responsible for himself. The poor belong to all of society, and it is society's obligation to care for them.
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