A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens, published in 1843 and is the fourth and final installment in the series of staves. In this stave, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge that he is on his way to a place of eternal punishment and that Scrooge must change his ways to avoid the same fate. Marley tells Scrooge that he must make amends for his past actions and become more generous, kind, and forgiving towards others.