From an early age, Charles Dickens dreamed of becoming a

gentleman. He wanted an education. His parents had some limited

funds set aside to send one of their children to a university or
academy. I had 7 brothers and sisters. So I had to leave school when I
was 12 and go to work.
When I was 12, it seemed like my dreams would never
come true. John Dickens, my father, was arrested and sent to
Marshalsea Prison for non-payment of a debt. I was sent to work at
Warren's Blacking Warehouse, where I spent 10 hours a day pasting
labels on shoe polish pots for 6 shillings a week, going to the debts of
his family and his own modest homes.
It was very dirty and difficult and a very unhappy time for me.