Oliver Appears Before the Board

Oliver is brought before the parish board, a group of fat, self-important gentlemen who question him about his identity and his understanding of being an orphan. The gentleman in the white waistcoat immediately declares Oliver a fool. The board decides that Oliver is to be educated and taught a useful trade, which means he will begin picking oakum at six o'clock the next morning. Oliver is then led to a large ward where he sobs himself to sleep on a hard bed, unaware that the board has already made a decision that will profoundly shape his future.