What do the charity workers symbolize in A Christmas Carol?

The
charity workers who approach Scrooge at the beginning of the story are supposed to represent the
approach Scrooge should be taking to Christmas.was a keen reformer and often used his novels as
platforms from which to explain to the middle classes how dire the situation in cities for the
poor, and also to give examples of how to help. These charity workers have dedicated themselves
to helping "the Poor and destitute," and Dickens makes it clear that he thinks men
like Scrooge, who are wealthy, should do the same with their money. Scrooge, however, makes his
cynicism and mean-spiritedness very clear, in contrast to their open-hearted appeals to his
charity. He suggests that the "treadmill" and the "Union workhouses" should
be provision enough to the poor.

The charity workers counter that
"Christian cheer of mind" is as important to the poor as absolutely basic bodily
needs; they also serve as Dickens's mouthpiece to others who think like Scrooge, pointing out
that many...