The definitive edition features an extended biography of the life and experiences of Charles Dickens No one can bring Victorian England alive like Charles Dickens. Set in dreary Coketown, England, the novel follows Thomas Gradgrind, a school owner who is a staunch supporter of utilitarianism that he imposes on his students and family. His two children, Tom and Louisa, are raised into a life where, creativity and wonder are banned, by their father. "Do the wise thing and the kind thing too, and make the best of us and not the worst." As a result, Tom and Louisa descend into lives of misery. Louisa becomes involved in a loveless marriage and Tom, lacking a moral compass, turns into a gambling thief. As Thomas watches his children sink into depths of failure and unhappiness, he realizes that his own ethics and beliefs have contributed to the very degradation of society he so opposes.