In Dickens's day, education was both a luxury and a sign of gentility. The upper class was well educated. The middle class made the attempt, particularly those who had recently made their fortune in industry and understood that attendance at a good public school and university was the key to social advancement for their sons. Dickens himself sent his son Henry to Cambridge University, despite the heavy expenses involved. "I can't get my hat on in consequence of the extent to which my hair stands on end at the costs and charges of these boys," he complained. For the poor, however, schools took second place to survival. Latin, Greek, and classical history seemed a waste of time when destitution and death lurked just around the corner.

Dickens's Education

As members of the genteel middle class, Dickens's parents could not afford...