Oliver Attends His First Funeral

Mr. Sowerberry, recognizing the melancholy expression on Oliver's face, decides to use him as a 'mute' for children's funerals. Oliver accompanies his master to the funeral of a woman who has died of starvation. He witnesses the profound grief of the widower and the grotesque indifference of the old grandmother, who treats the death as a form of entertainment. The funeral itself is a rushed, callous affair, with the clergyman compressing the service into four minutes. This experience gives Oliver a deeply unfavorable impression of his master's business and the callousness of the world.