This has been fact checked and while the numbers are all right, historians say that Cratchit wasnt a destitution allegory in raw numbers. 15 shillings was double what manual laborers earned. It was simply not enough to support a such a large family.

usatoday.com/story/news/factch…

Fact check: Claim about Bob Cratchit's salary from 'A Christmas Carol' is partly false

It's true the "A Christmas Carol" character would have made more than the federal minimum wage, but experts say he was not "destitute."

^{Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY (USA TODAY)}