The story of The Chimes concerns a working class man who comes to believe that he is worthless and worries that working-class people are wicked by nature. On New Year's Eve, some goblins show him visions of what will become of his loved ones if they are allowed to continue believing that they are worthless and wicked. In common with A Christmas Carol, social commentary forms an important part of the novella and its main character is a man who changes his point of view after a night time encounter with some spirits.The main character of The Chimes is Toby Veck, known to everyone as Trotty Veck, a man who is more than sixty years old, has worked hard all his life but is still very poor. Trotty Veck earns a meagre living as a porter and messenger, getting his nickname as a result of constantly "trotting" about from place to place.On New Year's Eve, Trotty Veck is sitting on the steps of a church near to his home, reading a newspaper and waiting for his daughter Meg to bring him his lunch. His newspaper does not make happy reading, being full of stories of crime. The articles that he reads make Trotty wonder if working-class people are wicked by nature.