"solitary child neglected by his friends"

Language

Links

"solitary"

Juxtaposition

"neglected" with "friends" invokes sympathy from the reader

Links to "solitary as an oyster", but this time he did not have a choice

Response

"sobbed"

Similar emotional response when shown Fezziwig, Fan, and Belle

Deeper meanings

Empathy

Loneliness

By contrasting this forced decision of being lonely with his later conscious one, it shows that one of the reasons why he is like this is because of his upbringing, encourages change in the reader

We empathise with Scrooge as we now understand that is was not really his decision to be lonely, but his exclusion from society that has led to his decline

His sobbing suggests that he understands that shouldn't have neglected his relationships in return for money, and it is relationships, not money, that brings him happiness

The fact that empathy and compassion are now able to elicit an emotional response from scrooge signifies the start of his transformation

Shows that he was once a child that didn't neglect his friends but instead they neglected him

By encouraging the reader to feel sorry for scrooge, Dickens is inviting the reader to take an interest in his transformation and celebrate with him at the end of the novella

Dickens was neglected as a child, his mother wanted him to stay in the workhouses to earn money - message to readers

Links with ignorance and want, as they are separated from society - it shows what happens when children are separated