However, one reason in particular stands out. Oliver was a boy from a troubled family. His mother died when he was young and he was forced to work. Dickens tells parts of his real-life story, but in a different way. Dickens's father was arrested and Oliver's mother died. Both cases would be very difficult for a boy. So, both Dickens and Oliver had to get jobs to support themselves. Oliver meets a man who helps him. His name is Fagin. Mr. Fagin is also the name of a man who helped Dickens in the blackening factory during his childhood. Although the names are the same, these two Fagin men are different. In the novel, Fagin is seen as something of a villain, while in the shoe shine factory Fagin helps and teaches Charles his daily work. Dickens' time in the blackening factory was the worst time of his entire life. Because of his embarrassment about this period of his life, he kept it a secret from all but a few people (Info.). While the real-life Fagin introduced him to the ways of the factory, the character Fagin taught Oliver the correct way to pickpocket (Info.). Both situations were about survival. Perhaps both men, the real Fagin and the character Fagin, showed both boys, Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist, the darker side of life and how to deal with it (Info.). This may be the real reason Dickens wrote Oliver Twist. He wanted to show people around the world that a dark side to life is always present. No matter what era or generation it is, people always suffer. Since this was very personal to Dickens, he was able to represent it very effectively in his writings. Even in today's society, the media could do a much better job of describing the struggles of the poor in this country and how others can assist them by helping them maintain their dignity. This is probably one of the reasons why Dickens' work is still relevant today