Which lines in this excerpt of charles dickens's a christmas carol reflect the theme of compassion versus material gain?
"but you were always a good man of business, jacob," faltered scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.

"business! " cried the ghost, wringing its hands again. "mankind was my business. the common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. the dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business! "

it held up its chain at arm's length, as if that were the cause of all its unavailing grief, and flung it heavily upon the ground again.

"at this time of the rolling year," the spectre said, "i suffer most. why did i walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed star which led the wise men to a poor abode! were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me! "

scrooge was very much dismayed to hear the spectre going on at this rate, and began to quake exceedingly.

"hear me! " cried the ghost. "my time is nearly gone."

"i will," said scrooge. "but don't be hard upon me! don't be flowery, jacob! pray! "

"how it is that i appear before you in a shape that you can see, i may not tell. i have sat invisible beside you many and many a day."

it was not an agreeable idea. scrooge shivered, and wiped the perspiration from his brow.

"that is no light part of my penance," pursued the ghost. "i am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. a chance and hope of my procuring, ebenezer."

"you were always a good friend to me," said scrooge. "'ee! "

Remark

I'm going to give you the two that I think it could be. Here's the first of the two.

One

"Business!" cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"

Two

"At this time of the rolling year," the spectre said, "I suffer most. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode! Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!"

Discussion

The last one really has nothing to do with either compassion nor business. It is just as it appears. A thank you. But Scrooge is about to learn what friendship really means. The Ghosts are great educators -- all four of them.

The second last one is just Marley has to suffer through. I for one always feel very sorry for him, because he learned to late what he needed to know. But that does not answer your question.

The next one up has to do with Scrooge feeling the heat. It is just a description. The main ideas are in one and two above.

That is not relevant to business or compassion either. It is elaborating on a circumstance and does not answer your question.

The line beginning with hear me. My time is nearly gone. This too has nothing to do with your question although you may feel very sorry for Marley as I do.

Scrooge was very much dismayed ... this is just a reaction of Scrooge's. He certainly is uncomfortable. And that's about all you can say.

It held it's chain at arms length ... again a description and  a heart breaking one. I would hate to meet such a character, but it describes a result and not a what business really does to mankind.

Though the idea of business is in the first one, it does not reach into compassion and Scrooge at this point does not know what  he is in for. He's uneasy, but the ghosts have not yet dealt with him yet.

Which is it, one or two?

We have all at some point walked passed someone who is homeless or mentally ill or both and not been cheered by what we see. We've all looked at old people and how withered and unglamorous they look. At some point in our lives, we have looked at movie stars or models or well kept people and thought "That's for me." That's what two sounds like to me. It's true and it's fitting, but it's not the right answer.

The right answer is One

Marley is absolutely outraged that Scrooge could be so stupid and not see the obvious. Business is not mankind's business. Kindness and generosity and humane treatment is mankind's business.  

explanation:

this should you with your answer : )