The Haunted Man and The Ghost`s Bargain

Published in 1848 The Haunted Man and the Ghost`s Bargain is the last of Dickens’ Christmas novels. It is about the spirit of the holiday as much as about the holiday itself. Redlaw is a teacher of chemistry who often broods over wrongs done to him and grief from his past.

A phantom twin of himself who offers to let Redlaw forget all the sorrows and wrongs in his life haunts Redlaw. Redlaw accepts the offer. Because he can no longer remember the grief in his life, he is overcome with anger that spreads to the families around him.

The only one not affected by this is Milly. In the conclusion of the novel she offers this moral. "It is important to remember past sorrows and wrongs so that you can then forgive those responsible and, in doing so, unburden your soul and mature as a human being."