Charles Dickens Past

It appears that Oliver Twist may have been inspired by some of Charles Dickens own past. Apparently Charles Dickens used to work in a workhouse alongside many children, when he was eleven. He made a decent amount of money, but watching the children suffer and being in that enviroment most likely is a reason for him to have come up with the plot of Oliver Twist. Dickens must have seen some terrible things while working there. It helps me to understand why he is so cruel to Oliver, because this is what he would expect. He would not expect a happy story for a boy in Olivers position. I also have heard that Charles Dickens considered his job there so degrading that he did not talk about it to anyone, not even his wife.