It was after the publication of Dombey and Son that the literary reputation of Charles Dickens as a world class writer was finally and irrevocably established. And what had served to stimulate this unparalleled imaginative genius was the very city he lived in: London. Dickens routinely walked anywhere from 10 to 20 miles every day through the narrow, winding streets of the great city on the Thames. And what a city! London in the mid-19th century was easily the largest, most spectacular metropolitan area in the world. By Dicken's day there were four million souls living there.

But it was a city of contrasts. Untold riches were on display almost cheek by jowl with miserable poverty. The city reeked of filth, and the sewers, such as they were, overflowed with indescribable ghastliness on a frequent basis. Oppressive heat vied with freezing temperatures to exacerbate the situation, and the horrid clatter of tens of thousands of horses and carriages added to the noise.

In Volume 3, all of the elements now move to their exciting conclusion. As Mr. Dombey's second marriage crumbles, so does his business. Florence flees but finds her place again in the arms of one who truly loves her. Mr. Carker's wiles are finally unveiled, but too late for his victim, and his end is swift and sudden. The Midshipman itself finally arrives in calm waters. As befits a Dickens novel, all the loose ends are tied up nicely and the cast of assorted characters are left to their various fates, satisfactory and otherwise.