How was the early life of Charles Dickens?

Charles Dickens did not have the easiest of upbringings. His father worked for the Navy Pay Office as a clerk, and after a rather rushed moved, his father was put into debtors prison for having massive debts that he was unable to pay. It seemed that the family was living beyond their means. Dickens was the second of eight children that his parents raised. While his father was in prison, his mother and younger siblings were sent there with him, as was the law at the time. The young Dickens was obliged to leave school, in order to help support his family and pay off some of the debts that his father had acquired.

The time that he spent working in the warehouse, which included extremely long hours, and some very lasting unpleasant memories, helped to form some strong views with he held his entire life. His mother was not in favor of him leaving the warehouse in which he was working after his father was released from prison. The fact that his mother was not more caring and concerned for his well-being molded some very harsh feelings for women, which did not dissipate over his lifetime.

In his later years, many of the conditions that he underwent while working in the warehouse shaped some of the characters in his novels.