This last chapter completes the traditional dramatic distribution of rewards and punishments. Rounding off the narrative with the marriage of Harry and Rose follows is in keeping with the most respected conventions. It does not, in reality, have much direct bearing on the fortunes of the hero.
Giving Monks half the remains of his father's legacy is one more concession to the claims of benevolence and mercy. Monks is, however, too far gone in his life of crime to be restored to upright ways. Nevertheless, in his concluding words, Dickens reaffirms his conviction that the exercise of benevolence and mercy is a precondition for happiness.
