An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1492 words)
ime ran on; thousands of pounds were offered in reward, for the death
of Sir Danvers was resented as a public injury; but Mr. Hyde had
disappeared out of the ken of the police as though he had never
existed. Much of his past was unearthed, indeed, and all disreputable:
tales came out of the man’s cruelty, at once so callous and violent; of
his vile life, of his strange associates, of the hatred that seemed to
have surrounded his career; but of his present whereabouts, not a
whisper. From the time he had left the house in Soho on the morning of
the murder, he was simply blotted out; and gradually, as time drew on,
Mr. Utterson began to recover from the hotness of his alarm, and to
grow more at quiet with himself. The death of Sir Danvers was, to his
way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde.
Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for
Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his
friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer; and
whilst he had always been known for charities, he was now no less
distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was much in the open air,
he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward
consciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was
at peace.
On the 8th of January Utterson had dined at the doctor’s with a small
party; Lanyon had been there; and the face of the host had looked from
one to the other as in the old days when the trio were inseparable
friends. On the 12th, and again on the 14th, the door was shut against
the lawyer. “The doctor was confined to the house,” Poole said, “and
saw no one.” On the 15th, he tried again, and was again refused; and
having now been used for the last two months to see his friend almost
daily, he found this return of solitude to weigh upon his spirits. The
fifth night he had in Guest to dine with him; and the sixth he betook
himself to Dr. Lanyon’s.
There at least he was not denied admittance; but when he came in, he
was shocked at the change which had taken place in the doctor’s
appearance. He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The
rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly
balder and older; and yet it was not so much these tokens of a swift
physical decay that arrested the lawyer’s notice, as a look in the eye
and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror
of the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor should fear death; and yet
that was what Utterson was tempted to suspect. “Yes,” he thought; “he
is a doctor, he must know his own state and that his days are counted;
and the knowledge is more than he can bear.” And yet when Utterson
remarked on his ill looks, it was with an air of great firmness that
Lanyon declared himself a doomed man.
“I have had a shock,” he said, “and I shall never recover. It is a
question of weeks. Well, life has been pleasant; I liked it; yes, sir,
I used to like it. I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more
glad to get away.”
“Jekyll is ill, too,” observed Utterson. “Have you seen him?”
But Lanyon’s face changed, and he held up a trembling hand. “I wish to
see or hear no more of Dr. Jekyll,” he said in a loud, unsteady voice.
“I am quite done with that person; and I beg that you will spare me any
allusion to one whom I regard as dead.”
“Tut, tut!” said Mr. Utterson; and then after a considerable pause,
“Can’t I do anything?” he inquired. “We are three very old friends,
Lanyon; we shall not live to make others.”
“Nothing can be done,” returned Lanyon; “ask himself.”
“He will not see me,” said the lawyer.
“I am not surprised at that,” was the reply. “Some day, Utterson, after
I am dead, you may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this. I
cannot tell you. And in the meantime, if you can sit and talk with me
of other things, for God’s sake, stay and do so; but if you cannot keep
clear of this accursed topic, then in God’s name, go, for I cannot bear
it.”
As soon as he got home, Utterson sat down and wrote to Jekyll,
complaining of his exclusion from the house, and asking the cause of
this unhappy break with Lanyon; and the next day brought him a long
answer, often very pathetically worded, and sometimes darkly mysterious
in drift. The quarrel with Lanyon was incurable. “I do not blame our
old friend,” Jekyll wrote, “but I share his view that we must never
meet. I mean from henceforth to lead a life of extreme seclusion; you
must not be surprised, nor must you doubt my friendship, if my door is
often shut even to you. You must suffer me to go my own dark way. I
have brought on myself a punishment and a danger that I cannot name. If
I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also. I could
not think that this earth contained a place for sufferings and terrors
so unmanning; and you can do but one thing, Utterson, to lighten this
destiny, and that is to respect my silence.” Utterson was amazed; the
dark influence of Hyde had been withdrawn, the doctor had returned to
his old tasks and amities; a week ago, the prospect had smiled with
every promise of a cheerful and an honoured age; and now in a moment,
friendship, and peace of mind, and the whole tenor of his life were
wrecked. So great and unprepared a change pointed to madness; but in
view of Lanyon’s manner and words, there must lie for it some deeper
ground.
A week afterwards Dr. Lanyon took to his bed, and in something less
than a fortnight he was dead. The night after the funeral, at which he
had been sadly affected, Utterson locked the door of his business room,
and sitting there by the light of a melancholy candle, drew out and set
before him an envelope addressed by the hand and sealed with the seal
of his dead friend. “PRIVATE: for the hands of G. J. Utterson ALONE,
and in case of his predecease to be destroyed unread,” so it was
emphatically superscribed; and the lawyer dreaded to behold the
contents. “I have buried one friend to-day,” he thought: “what if this
should cost me another?” And then he condemned the fear as a
disloyalty, and broke the seal. Within there was another enclosure,
likewise sealed, and marked upon the cover as “not to be opened till
the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.” Utterson could not
trust his eyes. Yes, it was disappearance; here again, as in the mad
will which he had long ago restored to its author, here again were the
idea of a disappearance and the name of Henry Jekyll bracketted. But in
the will, that idea had sprung from the sinister suggestion of the man
Hyde; it was set there with a purpose all too plain and horrible.
Written by the hand of Lanyon, what should it mean? A great curiosity
came on the trustee, to disregard the prohibition and dive at once to
the bottom of these mysteries; but professional honour and faith to his
dead friend were stringent obligations; and the packet slept in the
inmost corner of his private safe.
It is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it; and it may
be doubted if, from that day forth, Utterson desired the society of his
surviving friend with the same eagerness. He thought of him kindly; but
his thoughts were disquieted and fearful. He went to call indeed; but
he was perhaps relieved to be denied admittance; perhaps, in his heart,
he preferred to speak with Poole upon the doorstep and surrounded by
the air and sounds of the open city, rather than to be admitted into
that house of voluntary bondage, and to sit and speak with its
inscrutable recluse. Poole had, indeed, no very pleasant news to
communicate. The doctor, it appeared, now more than ever confined
himself to the cabinet over the laboratory, where he would sometimes
even sleep; he was out of spirits, he had grown very silent, he did not
read; it seemed as if he had something on his mind. Utterson became so
used to the unvarying character of these reports, that he fell off
little by little in the frequency of his visits.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When shame drives us to isolate ourselves from support systems, believing we're protecting others while actually spreading damage to everyone involved.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when shame drives us to cut off support systems that could actually help us heal.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you want to avoid people who care about you—that's often when you need connection most.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The death of Sir Danvers was, to his way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde."
Context: Utterson reflecting on how Jekyll seems better now that Hyde is gone
This shows how people rationalize tragedy when they get what they want. Utterson is relieved his friend is safe, but this thinking ignores that Hyde could return and that Jekyll's problems aren't really solved.
In Today's Words:
At least the bad guy is gone, so maybe this whole nightmare is over.
"His face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service."
Context: Describing Jekyll's appearance during his brief period of normalcy
This captures how doing good genuinely changes people from the inside out. Jekyll's moral actions aren't just performance - they're healing his soul and it shows on his face.
In Today's Words:
He looked genuinely happy for the first time in forever, like someone who'd found their purpose.
"I have brought on myself a punishment and a danger that I cannot name."
Context: In his letter to Utterson when he cuts off all contact
Jekyll recognizes his situation is self-inflicted but feels powerless to escape it. The fact that he 'cannot name' it shows how shame makes us unable to even speak our problems aloud.
In Today's Words:
I've screwed up so badly that I can't even tell you what I've done to myself.
"I mean from henceforth to lead a life of extreme seclusion; you must not be surprised, nor must you doubt my friendship, if my door is often shut even to you."
Context: Jekyll's letter explaining why he's cutting off contact with friends
This shows the tragic irony of isolation - Jekyll thinks he's protecting his friends, but he's actually hurting them and making his own situation worse by refusing help when he needs it most.
In Today's Words:
I'm going to disappear from everyone's life, but don't take it personally - I still care about you.
Thematic Threads
Shame
In This Chapter
Jekyll's overwhelming shame about Hyde drives him to complete isolation from friends who care about him
Development
Introduced here as the driving force behind Jekyll's self-imposed exile
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you stop returning calls after making a mistake at work.
Isolation
In This Chapter
Jekyll cuts himself off from all social contact, believing he's protecting others but actually causing more harm
Development
Escalated from earlier withdrawal—now complete severance of all relationships
In Your Life:
You might see this when you push away family during personal struggles, thinking you're sparing them pain.
Friendship
In This Chapter
Lanyon dies from shock after learning Jekyll's secret, while Utterson suffers watching his friend waste away
Development
Shows how Jekyll's choices destroy the very relationships that could have saved him
In Your Life:
You might experience this when your attempts to 'protect' loved ones actually hurt them more than honesty would.
Secrets
In This Chapter
The weight of Jekyll's secret literally kills Lanyon and creates unbearable suffering for all involved
Development
Evolved from personal burden to weapon of mass destruction against relationships
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when keeping a family secret starts poisoning everyone's interactions.
Control
In This Chapter
Jekyll's attempt to control damage through isolation backfires spectacularly, creating chaos instead of protection
Development
Shows the ultimate failure of Jekyll's control-based approach to his problem
In Your Life:
You might see this when your efforts to manage a crisis alone make everything worse for everyone.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Jekyll suddenly become happy and social again after Hyde disappears, and what breaks this peaceful period?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Lanyon's physical deterioration and refusal to hear Jekyll's name tell us about the power of secrets to destroy relationships?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - people isolating themselves when they're struggling, thinking they're protecting others?
application • medium - 4
If you were Utterson watching a close friend withdraw and refuse help, what would you do differently than just respecting their wishes?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how shame spreads damage beyond the person carrying the secret?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Break the Isolation Pattern
Think of a time when you or someone close to you withdrew during a crisis, believing isolation would protect others. Map out what actually happened versus what the person thought would happen. Then design a simple intervention system - what words, actions, or support structures could have interrupted this destructive pattern before it spiraled?
Consider:
- •How shame convinces us that isolation is noble when it's actually destructive
- •The difference between healthy boundaries and toxic withdrawal
- •How to distinguish between needing space to process versus cutting off all support
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you isolated yourself during a difficult period. What were you trying to protect others from? What actually happened to your relationships during that time? What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 7: The Window and the Horror
Utterson and Enfield return to the mysterious door that started it all, but this time they'll witness something that will shake them to their core. What they see through Jekyll's window will change everything they thought they knew.




