Dickens disappointed me in his final treatment of Steerforth, the Murdstones and some others- I think the novel would have had so much more power if Ham had indeed saved Steerforth (although, whether Ham survived or not isn't as interesting as if Steerforth had been saved).
I finished the novel thinking, "What would George MacDonald have done with Steerforth?"-
I think Dickens lost out on a grand opportunity for a powerful redemption story--