Why does "A Christmas Carol" even exist?

I'm currently watching Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" wondering as I do so how the story works. We're all familiar with the story: Scrooge is a grouchy old man with no love for his fellow men, Bob Cratchit is his hard working assistant, there's Tiny Tim and Jacob Marley, but my question deals more with Fred, his nephew and a little with Bob.

Neither Fred nor Bob knows the backstory of Scrooge. Neither knows about the horrible family, the father that didn't love him, the loss of his true love. Yet both continually wish him Merry Christmas, neither abandon him because of his shortcomings.

They are tried and tested to the limits of their sanity I'm sure. Scrooge refuses to acknowledge his good natured, yet poor nephew even though the nephew asks nothing of him.

Bob continues to work for Scrooge even though his boss cares nothing about his sick son, or the level of poverty his employee is forced to live in because of his stinginess and greed.

Why do they not abandon Scrooge? Why do they not turn away from him? He is after all, a horrible old man that seems unlovable. He doesn't learn from the people around him, he doesn't listen to their helpful advice and explanations. He cares nothing about them and refuses to help himself even though he could. He even seems to turn down the help of Jacob Marley, and we can assume he was the same type of man to Marley as he is to everyone else.

I believe I've come to know the answer to this question. They love him, even with all of shortcomings and vices. They love him and accept him as he is even though they wish he were different.

Why is this important to understanding the story? Because if they had not loved him, if they had left him after one too many blow ups and mistakes he would have learned nothing. Jacob Marley cared for him and came back to save him from his own mistakes. His family and friends love for him even though he was horrible saved him and is what changed him.

Even after a questioning of faith, even after a loss of faith I can still see the parallel between this story and that of Jesus.

Jesus we all know was persecuted unjustly, he gave those around him chances to repent, he warned his apostles of what would happen. Yet no one listened or believed. Even after all this he sacrificed himself to save them. Because of love.

This quality of love I speak of, if real, cannot be affected by loved ones mistakes and mess ups. While some people can push us to our limits and infuriate us with their mistakes and shortcomings, there is always the quality of love to save them. We love people not because they are perfect but because they are imperfect. We love because we recognize our own imperfections and know that if we can find someone that completes us those imperfections no longer matter. We love because we can, just as Fred and Bob loved not because Scrooge loved them but because they truly loved the old man.

I feel as if I could write on this topic all night, but I've rambled long enough.