Bitzer is another prime example of a character lacking heart. While he is not a part of high society, he is striving towards it. His personal interests influence his actions as he plans to turn Tom in before his family can help him flee the country. Bitzer reminds Gradgrind that “the whole social system is a question of self-interest” (228), a concept which is part of the philosophy of fact. Bitzer is proof that facts do not develop moral or good people, but instead selfish minds driven by greed. Towards the conclusion of the novel, Dicken’s emphasis on the importance of empathy becomes more clear. After realizing the faults in his philosophy, Gradgrind desperately tries to save his children from the fate he has provided them. In regards to Louisa, he searches for compassion from Bounderby, asking him to stand by her and aid in her recovery—
“I think there are qualities in Louisa, which—which have been harshly neglected. . . I would suggest to you, that—that if you would kindly meet me in a timely endeavor to leave her to her better nature for a while—and to encourage it to develop itself by tenderness and consideration . . .” (192)
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As for Tom, Gradgrind searches for compassion in Bitzer, a product of his own education system, to let his criminal of a son go free. Gradgrind asks if he has a heart and receives an answer equivalent to the one referenced earlier of the horse— “The circulation, sir, couldn’t be carried on without one. No man, sir, aquatinted with the facts established by Harvey relating to the circulation of the blood, can doubt that I have a heart” (227). Bitzer is incapable of compassion as it was effectively removed from his emotional vocabulary—he is a logical machine whose only goal is to move higher in