Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: An unspoken yet clear element.It's implied he spurns his nephew because the lad reminds him of his dead sister.Seeing how many of Scrooge's unpleasant memories happened at Christmas time, as shown in the Christmas Past sequence, it's little wonder he's so down on the holiday.The spirits who haunt Scrooge show him how this has made him unloved and uncared for, and it will result in Scrooge Dying Alone. As his one-time lover Belle pointed out, his obsession with financial gain has caused him to stop caring about those less fortunate, as Scrooge believes that his money can protect him from the darkness in the world.

It's shown that Scrooge has grown cold, bitter, and miserly in his elderly years. He responds to the phantoms with a sharp wit, and he takes the mockery of his person at Fred's party in such stride that he privately wishes he could join in the fun. One of the sure signs that Scrooge isn't as bad as he initially appears is that he has an excellent sense of humor if you drill down far enough.

Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Inverted.However, this cuts both ways he isn't above ruining a poor couple instead of giving them a week extra to pay back a loan simply because those are the terms in the contract. Scrooge is well-known for being scrupulously honest, and always fulfilling contracts to the letter.Although he complains bitterly at having to pay Cratchit for his Christmas holiday, Scrooge makes no attempt to refuse either the day off or the money even though he expects Bob to be there all the earlier the next day for the sake of his unearned half a crown.He never wanted Tiny Tim to die, and he is disgusted at Old Joe's behavior even before he learns that it's his corpse the guy was looting.Easily Forgiven: Few of his acquaintances seem to hold his years of bad behavior against him after his Heel–Face Turn.Dying Alone: The threat of dying alone and unmourned is what ultimately leads him to change his ways.This all works very well with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come's role as the Bad Cop. Quite a few heavily imply it, while others very explicitly show it. Though the original story doesn't suggest it, many adaptations have this as Scrooge's implicit ultimate fate at the hands of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Dark and Troubled Past: Part of the reason he hates Christmas so much is that he had it rough growing up his absentee father abandoned him at a boarding school, his beloved sister died young, and his fiancé left him because he was too concerned about his money to return her love (and the only reason he started obsessing over money in the first place is that he was worried he wouldn't be able to support a family).Catchphrase: He's called things he doesn't like 'humbug' a few times.When the Ghost of Christmas Present throws that statement back in his face after showing Scrooge how the Cratchits are spending the holiday, he's utterly mortified. Early on, he says that the poor should just die off. Can't Believe I Said That: A non-comedic version.Break the Haughty: The whole story revolves around tearing him down and making him realize the error of his ways.Bad Boss: He's a horrid boss towards all of his employees, especially Cratchit.The Atoner: After completing his Heel–Face Turn, Scrooge is quick to rebuild bridges, becoming a good uncle to Fred, greatly improving Bob Cratchit's pay and work conditions, and gladly spreads his money around to those who need it.Affluent Ascetic: Despite being very wealthy, his home is quite spartan, with minimal lighting and furniture, due to his extreme parsimony.Actually Pretty Funny: Took his nephew's jokes about him at his Christmas party surprisingly well.Sadly, it is implied that he became exactly like his neglectful and cruel father who sent him to a boarding school to get rid of him even when everyone else was on vacation. In his Bad Future, it's implied that Fred didn't mourn him when he died note although all we hear about Fred is that he manfully consoled Bob and offered to help, rather than talk about his own grief. Abusive Parents: Well, abusive uncle to his nephew Fred.

Ghost of christmas past muppets