Dombey and Son is a novel by English author

Chapter 1

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  Mr Paul Dombey: The main character, about 48 years old as the novel opens. "In all his life, he had never made a friend. His cold and distant nature had neither sought one, nor found one". He is left a widower with two children by the end of Chapter 1. However, he only considers his son, Paul, to be worthy of his attention; his daughter, Florence, is "merely a piece of base coin that couldn't be invested – a bad boy". The son's death shatters Mr Dombey's hopes for an heir. His neglect of his daughter Florence causes problems with his second wife, Edith, whom he essentially purchased. Due to Edith's hatred for him and his own misplaced trust in James Carker, Dombey loses his business and his wealth. Dombey finally realises that his daughter was the only person who truly cared for him, even when he has nothing left. He reconnects with her in his later years and gains an heir through his son-in-law.
  
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  Mrs Fanny Dombey: Mr Dombey's first wife, mother of Florence and Paul; dies soon after Paul is born
  
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  Master Paul Dombey (Little Dombey): Born as the novel begins; he is weak and often ill. A gentle child, he is adored by his sister Florence and beloved of his schoolmates. He dies of an unspecified illness in Chapter 16.
  
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  Miss Florence (Floy) Dombey: Mr Dombey's daughter, about 6 years old as the novel begins. She dotes on her little brother. Despite her father's neglect, which amounts to emotional abuse, she loves him and longs for some return of her affection. During an unauthorized outing with Mrs Richards (Toodle), she is snatched from the street by Good Mrs Brown. After her father's wedding to Edith, she bonds with her stepmother. Florence flees the house when she realizes that Edith has broken with her father, taking refuge with Captain Cuttle at The Wooden Midshipman. She eventually marries Walter Gay and bears him two children.
  
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  Dr Parker Peps: One of the Court Physicians, pompously confuses Mrs Dombey's name with the names of aristocrats whom he has treated
  
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