The Idolization of Wealth and the Moral Decline in Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

Abstract: 

This study explores Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend as a critique of Victorian society’s idolization of wealth, arguing that money replaces traditional moral and religious values, leading to widespread social and moral decay. Dickens illustrates this shift through his complex characters from the upper and lower classes, including Lizzie Hexam, Eugene Wrayburn, Rogue Riderhood, and John Harmon. Through an analysis of their character arcs, this paper examines how their pursuit of wealth distorts their values and leads to ethical compromises, pushing them to extremes in their search for social status and personal gain. By using close readings of key passages and character interactions, this study reveals how the era’s fixation on material wealth undermines the moral fabric of society. The findings suggest that Dickens employs his characters as a mirror to reflect the dangers of this societal idolization,

positioning wealth as the ultimate force shaping personal and collective behavior. The paper argues that Dickens ultimately critiques not just individual moral failings, but the societal structures that allow such corruption to flourish. This analysis encourages readers to reconsider the values that shape our own contemporary world, particularly in terms of the ethical implications of wealth and social status.