Some characters make a choice to be caring by going against their morals in order to look after their families.

For Charlie, the fastest and easiest way of escaping poverty is to work for Squizzy Taylor, who, in exchange for the danger and moral compromise the job involves, pays him far more than any honest job Charlie could attain. What Charlie doesn't realize is how Squizzy exploits the desperation that arises from his poverty, just as Mr. Peacock exploits Ma's reliance on him for firewood. It is this desire to run away from the impoverished circumstances of his life that leads Charlie to eventually secure enough money to buy his own timber yard, meaning he and his family will no longer have to be cold or have to rely on predatory people who seek to exploit them.