The Nicklebys (Nicholas, his mother, sister Kate) are
penniless after the death of Mr Nickleby. In their poverty
and desperation they seek help from Nicholas’s Uncle
Ralph, a mean-spirited, cruel moneylender. Nicholas’s
independent attitude angers Ralph and Nicholas is
sent away to Dotheboys Hall to teach. He is upset by
the mistreatment of the children there by Headmaster
Wackford Squeers, and is disgusted by the cruel treatment
given to a boy called Smike. Nicholas thrashes the evil
Squeers and escapes to London with Smike, who becomes
his close companion.
In London, Nicholas continues his one-man crusade
against the ill treatment of his family by Ralph and the
persecution of his sister by Sir Mulberry Hawk. After
Nicholas finally makes a home for his family. With the
help of Newman Noggs (Ralph’s clerk) and the Cheeryble
brothers (benevolent businessmen), Ralph gets his
eventual comeuppance. Although Smike (who turns out
to be Ralph’s long-lost son) dies, there is a general sense of
justice at the end of the story