"There is a wisdom of the head, and... there is a wisdom of the heart." Hard Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens. One of Dicken's best works appraising English society. Highlights the social and economic pressures of the times. A masterwork. Set in the fictional English industrial city of Coketown, Hard Times examines the lives of workers during England's industrial revolution who endure horrific working conditions and dangers as they struggle to survive and provide for their families.