The tone of Clockwork Fagin

The tone of clockwork Fagin is Dark, steampunk, rusty and at some times, cheerful.

Its takes place in the steampunk era when many children who are sent to work in factories get injured by all the big machines. And their missing limbs are replaced with metal. Once they are Handicapped they are sent to St. Agatha's.

Examples of tone:
"I remember my first night in the hole, a time that seemed to stretch to infinity, a darkness so deep I thought perhaps I had gone blind. And most of all, I remember the sound of the cellar door loosening, the bar being shifted, the ancient hinges squeaking, the blinding light stabbing into me above, and the silhouette of old Grinder, holding out one of his hairy, long fingered hands for me to catch hold of, like an angel come to rescue me fromt he pits of hades." (Doctorow, 57)

This emphasises how dark the story is. And how Grinder just breaks the children into loving him for saving them from the very thing that he did to them.