Oliver Twist

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…the poor that Dickens criticizes. Monks, Oliver's evil half-brother, is "bad from birth," although Dickens clearly satirizes the middle class's belief that the poor are born crimnals. These inconsistencies weaken the larger impact of Dickens' crusade against the abuses leveled against the poor. Oliver Twist is not considered one of Dickens's best novels. The plot is misleading and often ridiculous. However, it merits study for its scathing critique of Victorian middle class attitudes towards poverty.