"“Here's a new game,” said Scrooge. “One half-hour, Spirit, only one!”..."See in text(Stave Three)
Dickens uses irony here: Scrooge wanted to get through the night as quickly as possible up to this point, but now he begs the Ghost of Christmas Present to stay longer. Though watching these games from the sidelines, Scrooge seems to share in their joy and excitement. This is reminiscent of his childhood, when he was always escaping into fictional worlds. Thus, Dickens creates a kind of bittersweet moment: the reader can see that Scrooge is capable of participating in Christmas cheer, but he is still isolated. We are led to wonder if he will seek to participate in festivities in the real world once he returns to it.
