Ebenezer Scrooge

He is one of Dickens's most famous characters, at the beginning of the novella he presented as a mean and miscible man who only cares for money. As the central protagonist of the novella, all the action revolves around Scrooge. Even if he isn’t in a scene we still have his reactions and how it affects him. Dickens's shows him each scene that Scrooge is shown by the ghost changes him, until his final, joyful transformation.
During the novella:
-He treats his office clerk, Bob Cratchit, badly, making him work in the cold and fear for his job.
-His antagonistic nephew who visits him at work wishes him a merry Christmas.
-He tells charity collected that poor people should die rather than be given charity
-he is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, who tells him that his focus on money is wrong
-he sees Christmas days from the past and begins to realise that he made bad choices
-he enjoys Christmas day at the present with the Cratchit's and Fred’s houses
-he is horrified to find if he continues to behave badly none will care about him and Tiny Tim will die.
-he changes his behaviour and supports the Cratchit family


Marley's Ghost

Jacob Marley was Scrooge's business partner, the narrator goes to some lengths to make us accept he is dead. His ghost appears to Scrooge on Christmas eve warning him about the need to change his ways and focus in life, from money to 'mankind'.
In the story:
-he has been dead for seven years
- he visits Scrooges home on Christmas Eve
-is weighted down with chains and baggage that represent the concerns Marley had in life
-he is now desperate to help the poor and needy but is unable to
-he awakes Scrooge to the seriousness of his situation
-he tells Scrooge he will three visitors who will offer him the chance of escaping the same fate.

Fred

Fred is Scrooge's nephew, the only son of Scrooge's much-loved sister Fan, who (supposedly) died in childbirth giving birth to Fred (why Scrooge hates Fred). He demonstrates what Scrooge could be.
In the story:
-He visits Scrooge in his office to wish him to have a Merry Christmas
-he holds a jolly family Christmas party where he refuses to be rude about Scrooge but he does laugh at his miserly ways
-he is Bob, expressing his sorrow for the death of Tiny Tim (as portrayed in by the ghost of Christmas carol yet to come)
-He welcomes Scrooge into the family Christmas party without question


Bob Cratchit

Bob is Scrooge's clerk and represents the lower classes. He has to accept poor wages and working conditions because he has a family to support, and a badly-paid job is better than no job.
In the story:
-he works in Scrooge’s cold office and is too scared to put more than one coal on the fire at a time
-he represents the loving father that we Scrooge never had
-he has fun with his family and toasts Scrooge even though he’s not paid enough
-he is devoted to his son Tiny Tim
-he is alarmed when Scrooge changes and wonders if he should call the police


Ghost of Christmas Past

The ghost personifies what Scrooge has been, taking him on a journey to see his past Christmases.
In the story:
-It appears as a strange figure, an old woman and a child combined
-It takes Scrooge to see the time he was left at school for Christmas and another when his sister came to take him home
-It shows Scrooge at Fezziwig's party, a time when young Scrooge was enthusiastic
-It makes Scrooge watch Belle breaking off her engagement to him as she realises he loves money more than her
-It shows Scrooge that Belle married and has led a happy family life

Ghost of Christmas Present

The ghost’s function is to show us what life is like for differences people in Victorian Britain at Christmas and comparing it with Scrooge's previously declared views.
In the story:
-It appears in a room full of food, drink and 'living green'
-It shows Scrooge a scene of joy in London as people prepare for Christmas
-It sprinkles the poor with drops water and articulates Dickens’s opposition to keeping Sunday free of work
-It takes Scrooge to the Cratchit's house and predicts Tiny Tim will die if everything carries on like this.
-It travels around Britain to see a variety of people celebrating Christmas
-It visits Fred's Christmas party and lets Scrooge stay longer than intended
-it provides Dickens's a mouthpiece to show the importance of education, saying that ignorance is more dangerous than poverty.


Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come

This is the most mysterious of the ghosts, reflecting the fact that the future is uncertain and depends on our present actions. It shows Scrooge what will happen if he doesn't change his ways.
In the story:
-it doesn't speak to Scrooge but just points with its hand
-It takes Scrooge to see his previous businesses colleagues don't care about his death
-It shows thieves gloating over goods they stole from the dead man
-It wants Scrooge to look into the face of the dead man but he couldn't
-It shows the relief a couple felt by the couple who owed money to the dead man
-It takes Scrooge to see the Cratchit's who are mourning over Tiny Tim
-Makes Scrooge look at the gravestone of the dead man and finds out its Scrooge himself.