The Importance of Sleary's Circus Folks in Hard Times is presented by the people of Sleary's circus. Dickens shows that the men of Sleary lead lives that go against everything that Gradgrind stands for and as such are at first something of an abomination to him. They are shown as people with a life of freedom, not bound by the rigid laws and hard facts on which Gradgrind's philosophy is based. Not just the physical freedom to roam the countryside almost at will, where Gradgrind is tied to Coketown. But also a mental freedom to enjoy life fully with all its spontaneity, unconditional emotions, imagination, failures, shortcomings and passions. Something that Gradgrind is shown to be unable to understand until the end of the book. One gets the feeling that their life on this world consists of giving pleasure to others, sometimes at great risk to themselves "a beautiful girl with blond hair......made a will at the age of twelve" 1 , in a place where the "Hands" can and...