He is living proof of childhood corruption and portrays himself as his young, mischievous and perplexed characters Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. It proves to be a product of the Victorian era as it draws attention to childhood cruelty, the less fortunate in an English society, and the dysfunctional and not very wealthy families of the early Victorian period. Charles Dickens reflects on these and other questions as he brings realism to life in his writing. While others wrote about how things should be, rather than how they were, Dickens challenged these ideas and argued that the poor and criminals were not evil at birth. This was an act of rebellion, as he was actually showing the Victorian middle class generation what things felt like from a different point of view. The Victorian era reflected more than just a change in the lack of economic development, but it affected young children. who endured the cruelty and hardship of children, like Dickens and many other writers of this time. Dickens, having been a poor boy, worked in a factory where he was treated without respect and many, like him, had to work in cruel and dangerous conditions. This comes across in his writings, as Oliver Twist works in a factory so he can have a meal and a place to sleep. Oliver works long days and his meals come in bite-sized portions, and so all the little children in the factory become thin and on the verge of starving. “Please sir, I want more.” (Ch. 2, pg. 12) This quote is a direct reflection of Oliver's hunger and a child's views on the cruelty they endured working in this factory in the Victorian era. Many children, perhaps even Dickens, worked 16-hour days in atrocious conditions. Of course, Victorian babies weren't always put through labor; many suffered verbal and physical abuse at the hands of their parents and workers from the upper classes of English society. Dickens shows how parents can be cruel to their children as he does in David Copperfield, as David's stepfather beats him. Even when she uses a quote from David's mother when she says, "Am I a bad mother to you, Davy? Am I a bad, cruel, selfish, evil mother? Say it, my daughter; say 'Yes,' dear boy, and Peggotty will tell you he will love; and Peggotty's love is much better than mine, Davy.