To answer this question, take a look at stave one. When the ghost of Jacob Marley appears, the narrator describes that he is wearing chains around his body. These chains are made up of:
Cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.
Marley goes on to explain that he forged these chains "in life" and that he must wear them forever. In other words, these items, like the padlock and ledger, are...
To answer this question, take a look at stave one. When the ghost of Jacob Marley appears, the narrator describes that he is wearing chains around his body. These chains are made up of:
Cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.
Marley goes on to explain that he forged these chains "in life" and that he must wear them forever. In other words, these items, like the padlock and ledger, are symbolic of greed. When he was alive, he was completely driven by making money. Just like Scrooge, Marley worked in business and his business dealings were chiefly concerned with making himself rich.
By devoting a life to the pursuit of material wealth, Marley pays the ultimate price: when he dies, he must wear these chains forever. Moreover, by visiting Scrooge, he hopes to make him realize that this kind of life is not sustainable: Scrooge must change now or wear the same chains in the afterlife
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