The lifelong friend of Charles Dickens wrote 25 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays, and more than 100 non-fiction pieces. The unconventional private life of this Londonian and his determination to tackle social issues used to disconcert his broad audience, especially when depicting physically abnormal people. His sympathy for such characters is probably linked to his own physical appearance: he was tiny, with a slightly deformed skull.