ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we concentrated upon the depiction of the family in Dombey and Son. In this chapter I want to consider the novel's handling of wider social themes, such as the increasingly commercial and industrial nature of early Victorian society, and the economic and social importance of British imperial dominion. Implicit within this discussion is the question of the extent to which the novel criticizes the social processes it describes. Does it ultimately condone or condemn the substantial rebuilding of London, and the development of the railway? Similarly, does the novel approve or disapprove of British colonial policy? As I hope will become clear, the novel certainly articulates forthright views on all of these issues, but it does not necessarily provide us with any straightforward answers. We will finish with a consideration of the historical significance of the range of views which the novel expresses, but I want to start with an account of the secondary characters in Dombey and Son, and the ways in which these can be seen to focus a number of the novel's main social issues.
