"The age of chivalry is past. Bores have succeeded to dragons"

This quote by Charles Dickens is a commentary on the changing times. In the past, chivalry was a standard procedure that was expected of knights and other noblemen. It was a time of adventure and romance, with knights slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress. However, in Dickens' time, this age of chivalry had passed. Rather of dragons, bores had taken their location. Bores are people who are dull and uninteresting, and who lack the excitement and experience of the age of chivalry. Dickens is suggesting that the world has actually become a much less intriguing location, which the age of chivalry is gone permanently.