While the novel is named after the innocent orphan Oliver, the Dodger (real name Jack Dawkins) steals the spotlight in every scene he enters. He is the prism through which Dickens explores the gray morality of the London underworld—a boy who is both a criminal and a gentleman, a corrupter and a protector.
“What a pity it is… that he isn’t a prig!” — The Dodger, lamenting Oliver’s innocence and wasted potential for thievery. the artful dodger oliver
His eventual transportation to Australia (a common punishment for convicts at the time) is a somber note in the novel. While Oliver finds a happy ending among the middle class, the Dodger is exiled, a victim of his own necessity to survive. While the novel is named after the innocent