Clifford Geertz Continued

Say Something of Something
I like the complex sentence structure at the bottom of page 296. It's has to be slowly digested and thought about.
The sentence at the bottom of page 298 intrigues me: "If we see ourselves as a pack of Micawbers it is from reading too much Dickens (if we see ourselves as unillusioned realists, it is from reading too little)..."
what are Micawbers?
did some research and found this on sparknotes.com:
Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins Micawber - An unlucky couple crippled by constantly precarious finances. Although Mr. Micawber never succeeds at supporting his own family, he is generous and industrious in serving others. Mrs. Micawber stands by her husband despite his flaws and regardless of the hardships they suffer.
still not sure... i'll have to think about it, maybe ask around.