This is occurring when the Ghost of Scrooges past takes him to his old boarding School. Here, although a lonely child at the holiday times as he was the only boarder left in the school whilst all others were home with a family he had "friends" . It is this he remembers fondly but hated the lonliness
As the story unfolds we see Ebenezer's softer side break through
It was Belle
Ebenezer
Belle
Scrooge came from London
Bah....humbug
Jacob Marley
Scrooges housekeeper
Fezzwigg
His nephew
Mr Fizzywigg
The ghost of Christmas present repeats Scrooges retort of "are there no prisons, are there no work houses"