One of the lessons that Charles Dickens seems to be trying to impress upon the reader in the novel Great Expectations is the importance of being content with what goes on in your life, but don't lose sight of who you are. Throughout the novel one of the characters finally gets what he wants, but he is a completely different person than he ever wanted to be, causing him to be unhappy again. The small things in life can have the greatest affect on your life. At the very end, the last, new character helps the other character see who he really is and really was, helping him to be happy at last. Dickens wants the reader to be happy, but he doesn't people to change from the great people they once were to be happy.