Unusually for Dickens, the novel is set in the imaginary industrial town of Coketown, the soulless domain of the strict Gradgind and the heartless factory owner... » 

Unusually for Dickens, the novel is set in the imaginary industrial town of Coketown, the soulless domain of the strict Gradgind and the heartless factory owner Bounderby. Human joy is seen as the open-hearted and affectionate people act as an antidote to the ruthless behaviour Dickens presents. «