Books Quote by Charles Dickens
““Most of our readers will remember, that, until within a very few years past, there was a kind of iron cage in the wall of the Fleet Prison, within which was posted some man of hungry looks, who, from time to time, rattled a money-box, and exclaimed in a mournful voice, ‘Pray, remember the poor debtors; pray remember the poor debtors.’ The receipts of this box, when there were any, were divided among the poor prisoners; and the men on the poor side relieved each other in this degrading office. Although this custom has been abolished, and the cage is now boarded up, the miserable and destitute condition of these unhappy persons remains the same. We no longer suffer them to appeal at the prison gates to the charity and compassion of the passersby; but we still leave unblotted the leaves of our statute book, for the reverence and admiration of succeeding ages, the just and wholesome law which declares that the sturdy felon shall be fed and clothed, and that the penniless debtor shall be left to die of starvation and nakedness. This is no fiction.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, 1855
The law claims to protect the poor, yet in practice it leaves the destitute to die, showing a false compassion that is merely symbolic.
In simple terms: Legal compassion is often just symbolic, leaving the poor to suffer.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge empty legal gestures.
Themes
justice
poverty
hypocrisy
law
compassion
Mood
critical
somber
Type
social critique
historical observation
When to use this quote
- prison reform
- social welfare policy
- charitable activism
- legal advocacy
Key Concepts
social contract
institutional neglect
moral responsibility
Questions to Reflect On
- What legal reforms could turn symbolic compassion into real aid?
- How can society hold institutions accountable for neglect?
A Different Perspective
The law may be well‑intentioned but fails to address real suffering.
