Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit": Moral Duty in the Grip of Social Arrogance Charles Dickens' novel "Little Dorrit" (1855–1857) is a complex artistic exploration of the relationship between genuine moral duty and social vices—arrogance, vanity, and prejudice. Dickens examines how social institutions and personal ambitions distort basic ethical imperatives, creating a system of universal hypocrisy. Two Prisons: Social and Internal "Little Dorrit" is one of Dickens' darkest and most socially pointed novels. Its central metaphor is the Marshalsea prison, where the Dorrit family is held for debt. However, the prison here is not only physical. It symbolizes universal confinement within harsh conventions, financial schemes, and social prejudices of Victorian England. Parallel to it operates the "Circumlocution Office"—a bureaucratic hell where affairs are buried under meaningless procedures. These two institutions illustrate two faces of arrogance: private (based on money and birth) and state (based on power and irresponsibility). Interesting fact: Dickens, whose father once served time in a debtors' prison, was well acquainted with the humiliating conditions of such a life. By creating the character of William Dorrit, he showed how shame can transform into a delusion of grandeur. The Distortion of Duty: From Genuine to Ostentatious The genuine moral duty in the novel is embodied by Amy (Little) Dorrit. Her duty is unconditional love and care for her father and sister, preserving human dignity under humiliating circumstances. She fulfills it quietly, without expectation of reward, finding support in inner honesty. This organic duty opposes the artificial duty imposed by society. Duty as vanity (the Dorrit family). Upon acquiring wealth, William Dorrit and his elder children, Fanny and Tip, immediately internalize the code of aristocratic arrogance. Their "duty" now is to hide their past, despise former prison mates, and display ostentatious luxury. They become slaves to p ... Read more