55) for the so-called welfare of the poor. In calling upon their belief in the goodness of their actions, Dickens is cutting the ground out from under them and impugning their self-importance. .
When Dickens comes down to the details of what is wrong with the system that spawned the workhouses, he brings out the beadle Mr. Bumble - an object of ridicule that stems from his belief in his own importance. The description of Mr. Bumble is the first caricature presented to the reader. He is portrayed as a fat, choleric man with a great idea of his oratorical powers and his own importance, and as beadles are but men - he does smile (p.50). Although invested in a sense of his own importance, he also realizes his role in the system is not as large as he may have liked, and therefore takes this out on the children and the people who work under him. He demands a constant reinforcement of his importance and his misplaced belief in his goodness. He mistreats and terrorizes everyone around him, operating under the belief that because of his goodness they should be terrified of him. .
As fierce as Mr. Bumble is to the people in the workhouse, it is almost unbelievable that no one in the workhouse sees him as amusing. But in setting him up as an important person, Dickens is also setting him up for a big fall - that comes in the form of Mrs. Corney. In this respect, the humor and the satire in Oliver Twist is decidedly harsher than that in many of Dickens's other novels. The objects of ridicule are eventually cut down to size, and as much as they might deserve it, it takes much of the amusement out of the satire. Therefore, while the first few chapters are funny, they cannot be truly enjoyed. There is the guilty feeling of laughing at someone who will suffer later. .
The same can be said about the authority figures that Dickens portrays. They are depressing despite the satirical depictions. The fact that they did exist, and that they were as Dickens portrayed them, and they did enforce on the poor all that is described in the first few chapters - takes all the humor out of the situation and leaves the reader with a biting sarcasm.