Chapter Preoccupations and Techniques of Oliver Twist - Study Guide by Charles Dickens

long clay pipes, and drinking spirits with the air of middle aged men'. Despite their supposedly wretched situation, it is striking how cheerful and likeable they are. 'The Artful Dodger' itself is hardly a name that invites serious censure, and throughout the book the boys' antics are more reminiscent of the Beano than The Newgate Calendar.