Ignorance and Want are two street children spirits that show up in The Ghost of Christmas Present's segment in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. After showing Ebenezer Scrooge the joys of the holiday season and the living conditions of Bob Cratchit's impoverished family, the Ghost of Christmas Present finally tells Scrooge the peril that poor people will end up in, should Scrooge not change his miserly ways. To illustrate his point, he shows Scrooge two street urchins whom he refers to as Ignorance and Want. It is implied that if people have been impoverished at childhood, they would either die at an early age (like Tiny Tim), or grow up and have a corrupt adulthood (like Ignorance and Want). In some cases (most famously The Artful Dodger and Fagin's gang) impoverished children become juvenile criminals.
Earlier in the story, Scrooge mentioned that he supports prisons and workhouses, believing that anyone badly off financially should go there. Should many of them rather die, Scrooge believed that "they had better do it and decrease the surplus population". It was only until Scrooge had feelings for Tiny Tim and the ghost used that very phrase against Scrooge that he had doubts about this belief.
In most adaptations of A Christmas Carol, Ignorance and Want's scene is often cut.
Portrayals[]
| Picture | Performer(s) | Production | Year | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ignorance | Want | ||||
 |
Scrooge | 1951 | |||
 |
A Christmas Carol | 1984 | |||
 |
Daniel Booroff | Leanne Howard-Williams | A Christmas Carol | 1999 | |
 |
Christmas Carol: The Movie | 2001 | |||
 |
A Christmas Carol | 2004 | |||
 |
Ryan Ochoa (young) Kerry Hoyt (adult) |
Sammi Hanratty (young) Julene Renee (adult) |
Disney's A Christmas Carol | 2009 | |
| A Christmas Carol | |
| Humans | Ebenezer Scrooge • Bob Cratchit • Mrs. Cratchit • Tiny Tim • Belinda Cratchit • Martha Cratchit • Peter Cratchit • Fred • Belle • Mr. Fezziwig • Fan |
| Ghost | Jacob Marley • The Ghost of Christmas Past • The Ghost of Christmas Present • The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come • Ignorance and Want |