In my opinion, everybody needs to read Oliver Twist, it portrays differences between the rich and the poor in a very good way. But that's not my favorite Dickens book; that would be David Copperfield. Mostly because of the Uriah Heep character whom I like a lot, not because of his personality or exterior, but because my favorite rock band, Uriah Heep, was named after him
I read Dickens as a kid. Chapters from his novels were in our English text books so we were encouraged to read his books. I have never read his works as an adult.