LONELINESS
Scrooge's younger self is described as a lonely boy, left alone at school during the holidays, which contributed to his emotional state and character development.
SCROOGE
At one of these a lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire; and Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he had used to be. ... One Christmas-time, when yonder solitary child was left here all alone, he _did_ come, for the first time, just like that. Poor boy!