Dickensian settings are crucial to the development of his themes. London in the 19th century is an industrial trap of class warfare, with neighborhoods differing wildly in accordance with class distinctions. These disparities, wrought by London’s social and economic realities, are a major target of Dickens’s social criticisms, and the descriptions of setting throughout the novel highlight the grime and disrepair that the lower classes have to deal with. Beyond such literal depictions of London’s inequality and corruption, the city is a symbol of societal ills. London is characterized by its darkness, coldness, and fog. There is a creeping stress about London: It is clogged by desperate people, and the pace of the city mirrors the ambitions and struggles of its residents. Necessity forces Nicholas and his family to London, but most good things happen as they move farther away from the city.

The countryside is Dickens’s second important setting. Juxtaposed with London, the English countryside represents peace, comradery, and good health. With the notable exception of Mr. Squeers’s Dotheboys Hall, people are friendlier to one another in the English countryside; they look after one another, ask after one another, and are tighter knit than in the chaos of overpopulated London.