What do Sissy Jupe and the circus bring to Hard Times?

It is clear that in this novel there are two sides or a
conflict between two groups of people and what is important to them. The novel itself
gives us a helpful division to understand the central conflict by nominating these two
sides as fact and fancy. It is evidently obvious that the forces of fact are marshalled
by Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby. The forces of fancy are represented by Sissy Jupe
and the Circus folk, who are, to all intents and purposes, her "family." The conflict
between the two sides comes clear in Chapter Two when Sissy Jupe is asked to define a
horse. Note Mr. Gradgrind's reaction of Sissy's failure to define a
horse:

"Girl
number twenty unable to define a horse!" said Mr. Gradgrind, for the general behoof of
all the little pitchers. "Girl number twenty possessed of no facts, in reference to one
of the commonest of
animals!"

The irony of course
is highlighted by the fact that Sissy has spent all her childhood growing up around
horses, and probably helping to look after them, so although she is unable to "define" a
horse, she probably knows more about horses than anyone else. This irony is heightened
when, in Chapter Six, we are introduced to the Pegasus's Arms, which is of course a
fanciful representation of a horse that is based on myth and legend, and nothing to do
with the facts that Mr. Gradgrind holds so dear.