Charles Dickens was a famous writer in the 19th century who was known for his realistic and socially conscious novels. He wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 as a criticism of the British class system and its effect on the poor. Dickens felt that the wealthy were not doing enough to help the less fortunate, and he used the character of Ebenezer Scrooge to represent this inequality. He also wrote the book to remind people that Christmas should be a time of joy and goodwill, not greed and selfishness.