Scrooge is first presented as a miserly, unpleasant man. He rejects all offerings of Christmas cheer and celebration as 'Humbug!'. But on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that he will be visited by three other ghosts. Each of the ghosts shows him a scene that strikes fear and regret into his heart and eventually he softens.
By the end of the story, Scrooge is a changed man, sharing his wealth and generosity with everyone.