Nicholas Nickleby

After his father's death, Nicholas Nickleby and his sister Kate find themselves in tough circumstances with their mother. They move to London hoping that Uncle Ralph Nickleby, a successful businessman, will help them. However, he proves to be difficult and cold towards his relatives. Nicholas embarks on a series of adventures as a schoolmaster for the one-eyed Wackford Squeers. He then escapes from the school and joins a theater group in Portsmouth with his new friend Smike. Good fortune eventually falls upon him when he meets the Cheerybles, who offer him stable employment. However, Nicholas's uncle dislikes the boy immensely and goes out of his way to make life difficult for him.