Charles Dickens experienced significant struggles that deeply influenced his literary themes. Born into a lower-middle-class family, he faced poverty and hardship during his childhood, particularly following his father's imprisonment for debt. These early experiences instilled in him a profound empathy for the underprivileged, leading to his critical portrayals of social injustice and class disparity in works like "A Christmas Carol" and "Oliver Twist." Dickens's literature often reflects his passion for reform and his desire to shed light on the plight of the working class in Victorian England.