William Dorrit has been a resident of the Marshalsea debtors prison for so many years that he has gained the nickname âThe Father of the Marshalseaâ. However, his suffering is eased by his close bond with youngest daughter Amy, or âLittle Dorritâ. The dashing Arthur Clennam, returning to London after many years in China, enters their lives and the Dorritsâ fortunes begin to rise and fall. A biting satirical work on the shortcomings of nineteenth-century government and society.