In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol , the ghost of Jacob Marley most regrets that, in life, he cared only about business and money instead of helping other people. He realizes too late that “mankind was my business” and that he wasted his life ignoring charity, mercy, and human kindness.
Marley’s main regret
Marley explains to Scrooge that his real “business” should have been the common welfare, including charity and benevolence, rather than profit and financial gain. He regrets not showing kindness and compassion to others, especially at Christmas, when generosity and concern for fellow human beings matter most.
How the story states it
When Scrooge asks why spirits walk the earth, Marley answers that every person is required to walk among their fellow humans and if they fail to do so in life, they are condemned to do it after death in torment. He then declares that while he thought his business was financial, in truth “mankind was my business,” underlining that neglecting human kindness is the greatest mistake of his life.