Money serves the world in three basic ways.  It is a medium of exchange, a measure of value, and a storage of wealth.  However, people often think that money has a fourth purpose; it is the root of all evil.  In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens brings this belief to its full potential.  The lust for wealth becomes a sinister force that constantly affects the plot of Oliver Twist.

First, money divides the people into social classes.  These social classes are in constant conflict with each other.  The upper class think the destitute are vulgar and lazy while the poor find the gentry to be snooty and easily fooled.  A vicious circle forms in which the poverty-stricken under class steals from the rich and the wealthy deny the poor of certain rights.  Because the city refuses to spend money to set up good orphanages with plenty of food and clothing, many young children run away.  They most often end up in a band of ruffians such as Fagin's where they are forced to steal from crowds on the streets.  These adolescents grow up in a world of crime from which they can never escape.  Soon they are too old to do the work for themselves.  They recruit more children and the process continues.

Likewise, when Oliver arrives at London, the Artful Dodger immediately drafts him.  Oliver, being naive and somewhat stupid, readily agrees to join the league of boys.  However, after being taken in by Mr. Brownlow, Oliver soon realizes how sinister Fagin's gang is.  Unfortunately, Oliver's attempts to free himself from any connection with the thieves is unsuccessful.  Their relentless pursuit of Oliver stems from the tremendous worth placed on him by a mysterious man named Monks.  If it was not for the monetary sum Monks was offering for Oliver, Fagin and his crew of culprits would have quickly forgotten young Oliver. Sadly, their incessant search for him continually adds complexity to Oliver's life.

Similarly, throughout the whole story, the greed for material riches influences the decisions the characters of Oliver Twist make.  Mr. Bumble does not ask for Lady Corney's hand in marriage until he finds out for sure that she is opulent.  By the same token, Monks' mother destroys the evidence of her husband's second marriage so that she and her son can be the benefactors.  Avarice also leads to the slow pilfering of Noah and his girlfriend from the undertaker and the outright cheating of Bill Sikes by Fagin.  Greed plays a role in the ownership of the gold locket.  First, Sally seizes it from a dying woman, Oliver's mother.  Then, on Sally's deathbed, Lady Corney steals the pawn ticket and reclaims the locket for her own.  When Monks discovers that Mrs. Bumble has the locket, he offers her an immense quantity of cash for it.  As soon as Monks has the locket, he jettisons it into the roaring river because it is the last piece of evidence that prohibits him from inheriting his father's estate.  All of these actions and many others are the direct result of a character's desire for wealth.

In addition, Oliver's elders often view him as a beneficial asset.  Early on, the undertaker takes in Oliver to receive the five pounds.  Although he does not get the full five pounds, the undertaker still sees it as a chance for financial improvement.  After having Oliver as a simple servant for a while, he puts Oliver to work as a mourner to bring in a greater profit.  Later, Fagin uses Oliver to steal from people on the street so that he can partake of the stolen goods.  Sikes values Oliver because he is the only one small enough to climb in the window of the house that Sikes plans to rob. At one time or another, most of the people who possessed Oliver exploited him to better their own fiscal situation.

Dickens presents money as Satan's leverage on humanity in Oliver Twist. Within the story, it serves as a dividing factor between people, drives men and women to unkind deeds, and places a paltry value on the life of a simple boy.  Money becomes the cause behind every effect and greed runs rampant in the streets of Victorian England.  By showing the viewer the extreme lust for materialism, Dickens indirectly comments on the audacity of greed and its destructive powers.