Written by Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist is a sharp social criticism of 19th-century Britain’s cruel workhouse system and widespread poverty. The novel follows orphan Oliver, whose innocent goodness stands firm amid endless hardship and corruption.

Born in a cold workhouse, Oliver suffers starvation and abuse before falling into Fagin’s gang of child thieves. Though surrounded by vice and schemes plotted by his half-brother Monks to ruin him, Oliver never loses his kindness and moral integrity. Dickens vividly exposes how poverty forces vulnerable children into crime, revealing the society’s indifference to the poor.

The story balances dark reality with warm hope. Kind characters like Mr. Brownlow and Rose Maylie rescue Oliver, proving virtue can defeat evil. Fagin’s tragic end also delivers a warning of crime’s terrible cost.

More than an adventure tale, this classic calls for mercy and justice for neglected children. Its powerful exposure of social unfairness still strikes readers today, making it an everlasting literary work.