Silence and reputation

Like many 19th century works, Jekyll and Hyde is written in striking, beautifully crafted and poetic language; however, in this novella, it is often what is not said gives us a deeper insight into the conventions of the Victorian era. As previously discussed, the Victorians were well-known for their repression of any transgressions from expected behaviours. Unfavourable characteristics like sexual freedom, outlandish emotions, or defiance of God were swept under the rug or labelled as base and degrading by the upper classes, which led to many prejudices being formed around the lower working class such as their immorality or predisposition for criminal behaviour. Such actions were rarely discussed in the circles of bourgeois, middle class society, exacerbating the stigmas and discomfort within the class divide.