his first real mothering when Brownlow rescues him from Fang.
OLIVER TWIST: MR. GRIMWIG
Mr. Grimwig is Brownlow's friend. He has a tender heart under his
gruff exterior and joins the effort to secure Oliver's inheritance
after initially doubting the boy.
OLIVER TWIST: TOBY CRACKIT
Toby Crackit is a housebreaker who works with Sikes.
MRS. CORNEY (later MRS. BUMBLE)
She runs the workhouse where Oliver was born. A greedy person, she
retrieves Agnes Fleming's treasures from Old Sally and sells them to
Monks.
OLIVER TWIST: DR. LOSBERNE
Dr. Losberne, the Maylie's physician, treats Oliver for his wound
and conspires with the Maylies to protect Oliver from the police and
give him a chance in life. He is part of the group that insures
Oliver's future. Sometimes his enthusiasm gets him into trouble.
OLIVER TWIST: HENRY (HARRY) MAYLIE
Henry Maylie loves Rose and wants to marry her, but she refuses
because she believes she is illegitimate and therefore might hurt his
chances to win elections. To win Rose, Henry gives up a political
career and becomes a clergyman.
OLIVER TWIST: SETTING
The major action of Oliver Twist moves back and forth between two
worlds: the filthy slums of London and the clean, comfortable houses
of Brownlow and the Maylies. The first world is real and
frightening, while the latter is idealized, almost dreamlike, in its
safety and beauty.
The world of London is a world of crime. Things happen there at
night, in dark alleys and in abandoned, unlighted buildings. You can
find examples in Chapter XV, when Oliver is kidnapped, and in Chapter
XXVI, when Fagin meets Monks. Such darkness suggests that evil
dominates this world. The rain and fog enveloping the city seem to
intensify the dismal atmosphere. You'll notice that Dickens often
uses weather conditions to aid in setting a scene. In Oliver Twist
bad things often happen in bad weather.
