Dickens writing is always eerily  applicable to modern problems.  The main theme is whether logic or fancy (emotions) lead to a fulfilled life.  I couldn't help but draw the comparison to today's culture wars throughout. Half the characters miserably shouting fact and logic (or just following it because thats all they know) versus the societal outcasts who rely on emotion and connection to each other to survive. There's also some interesting things the book has to say on class and a womans place in the world.

Ultimately I think the focus is on the way both trusting only facts and following only your fancy can be selfish. The only character who ends up happy is the one who has a clear sense of duty and how she feels. Aka a functional society needs to have stucture and compassion.

dickens was a good writer but this book is so preachy and so saccharine that its hard to get through. sissy is a great character who i think carries the story, but overall there's just not a lot here that isnt handled with far more nuance in other works. i will say though its really funny that dickens wrote a novel attacking utilitarianism while not understanding it even slightly