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How does Dickens present the fog in A Christmas Carol?

Just as the fog prevents people from seeing clearly in the literal sense, the fog seems to be presented as symbolic of Scrooge's inability to see in a figurative sense: he cannot see what his real priorities ought to be or that the choices he has made in his life have actually caused him to be alone.  As he walks home on Christmas Eve, the fog is especially thick, just as Scrooge's selfishness and lack of compassion are at their height.  When he wakes up on Christmas morning, one of the first things he notices is that the fog has lifted, and it is a bright and clear day.  Scrooge's mental fog, if you will, has also lifted, and he now understands how he should view his fellows, that he should live to help them in every way that he can, and that he should reach out to his nephew, Fred, his only living family. 

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