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I love that one of the things that shows Scrooge softening (which is pretty cool to see, that he's already softening so quickly) is that he talks about things in earnest. That he's excited about something, anything, even if it's just the names of donkeys he knew as a child.

To be excited about anything is immediately a humanising and empathetic experience.

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Scrooge remembers his life as a lonely boy of very limited means and immediately thinks of the caroller he had rudely shooed away. That shows he's not completely devoid of empathy, he just needed a chance to connect with people again.

What I liked the most in this chapter, though, was that he imagined all the characters in the books he read as real people, who kept him company while he was alone at school. What a sweet, creative child. Someone please give him a hug.

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Scrooge, crying: "I'm not crying, it's just a pimple!" That bit made me laugh, which was nice in an otherwise fairly sad scene.

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The unstoppable joy of returning to a place you know so well you can walk it blindfold.

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Ok, it’s only the first ghost and I’m already feeling so bad for Scrooge. No wonder he has little sympathy for people! Christmas was a time of loneliness and probably reminded him of being forgotten. He humbugged Christmas because he was trying to protect his very vulnerable and fragile heart 😢

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