Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and his family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from young adult minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and 'bully of humanity' Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery.
Filled with the details and wonders of small-town life, Hard Times is a daring novel of ideas - and ultimately, a celebration of love, hope, and the limitless possibilities of the imagination.