Having endured the death of his younger brother and then
the wrongful punishment of Justine which results in her death, Chapter Nine begins by
expressing how Victor, feeling incredibly guilty and responsible for these deaths,
withdraws from his family and society in general. He is so miserable, in fact, that he
contemplates killing himself. However, what stops him from doing so is a feeling of
responsibility towards those loved ones whom he would leave behind. He then sees that
suicide, though satisfying for himself, would selfishly leave Elizabeth and his father
and suriving brother unprotected. Note what he says to justify his
reasoning:
Should I by my base desertion leave them exposed
and unprotected to the malice of the fiend whom I had let loose among
them?
Note how Victor himself
sees how selfish suicide would be, calling it a 'base desertion.' He clearly realises
that, having given the creature life, he must bear some responsibility towards ensuring
that nobody else is hurt as a result of its anger and rage.
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