In Oliver Twist and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, both main characters refuse to accept the poor hand the world has dealt them. Pip and Oliver reach great enlightenment about social injustice and, in turn, rebel against the system that oppresses them. They are tired of being mistreated and neglected and so they decide to take a stand. Charles Dickens shows through Oliver and Pip that the revolt of the weak against the strong results from the oppression of the poor. As a result of their revolt against the system, Pip and Oliver are ostracized due to their nonconformist ideals. Therefore change in an oppressive and conformist society can only be achieved through changing moral, social and political instincts. In both novels the main character faces abuse and abandonment which results in rebellion and estrangement from the society that chooses to keep him in check. . In Oliver Twist, Oliver receives a great deal of abuse through the orphanage. While suffering from hunger and malnutrition for a long period of time, Oliver is singled out by the other boys at the orphanage to request more food for dinner. After making this simple request, “the master struck Oliver's head with a ladle; he immobilized him in his arms; and shouted aloud for the janitor” (Oliver Twist 16). This pain and abandonment caused a change in Oliver. He understood that he must rebel against the society that wants to oppress him, in order to begin to truly live. In Great Expectations, Pip receives a lot of abuse from his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery. On one occasion “I soon found myself receiving a strong blow from behind on the back of the head and the back, and having my face pushed ignominiously against the wall, because I had not answered those questions long enough” (Great Expectations 12) . This anguish inflicted at the hands of his sister has led Pip to distance himself from any connection with his family. Thus his independence grew as a direct consequence of the abuse he had suffered. In both novels the main characters must escape harsh living conditions and an evil environment which in turn force them to grow as individuals and become independent from a conformist society. Oliver finds himself living in a dark and sordid orphanage. It is also found in London's lower slums, such as the pickpocket hideout, the surrounding streets and bars, all of which are described as dark, dreary and tasteless..