A discussion of all the deaths would be a very long answer, as quite a few people die in this book. A partial list would start with Oliver’s mother, Agnes, who dies in the very first chapter. There are several named paupers who die; these include Sally, the woman who attended Oliver’s birth, and Dick, the child who was Oliver’s friend at the parochial farm. There are several deaths mentioned while Oliver is apprenticed to Mr. Sowerberry; I believe most of these are used to advance the story, as they are related to the undertaker’s trade. And then there are the deaths of the criminals, including Nancy, Bill Sikes, and Fagin.

It sounds like you need to give your opinion about the deaths that occur in the novel, and that should of course be based on what you believe. It is my belief that an author considers killing off their characters in a story very carefully and does not do so just for the sake of having a death in the story. It’s important, then, to consider what the author is trying to tell you. My opinion of Bill Sikes’s death, for example, is that Dickens was illustrating the principle of justice, in that Sikes got what he deserved. Furthermore, Sikes was tortured by what he had done to Nancy, and his unhappy conscience was what ultimately drove him back to London to die by his own hand. Dickens seems to believe that evil deeds will be found out, and justice will be served.

As you answer the question, think about the purpose of the characters in the story, and that will help you understand the purpose for their deaths.