Tiny Tim from Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Tiny Tim, one of the most well known characters from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, is a little boy, the son of Ebenezer Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit.

He has an illness that has weakened his legs, and made it impossible for him to walk unassisted, requiring the little boy to use a small crutch wherever he goes on his own. He is a sweet boy who proclaims, "God bless us, everyone!", perhaps the most well known line from the book. As readers of the book know, Tiny Tim, who has either rickets, or likely renal tubular acidosis, though the disease is never named in the story, would otherwise die but for the change of heart Mr. Scrooge undergoes, giving Bob a better salary and therefore enough money to have Tiny Tim treated. The little boy's character is vital to the story in that without him, Scrooge's change would seem to be done only to save himself, and the terrible fate awaiting his soul after death. Because of Tim being there, we witness Scrooge's growing compassion for others, and his need to change to help others as well as himself. Because of this, despite the fact that Tim Cratchit is a fairly minor character, his presence is vital for the message of the story to come across, and for Scrooge to be seen as a truly changed man who has learned to be selfless and giving.