Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

4. Jekyll lies about the letter – why? How does Utterson find this out and what conclusions does he draw from this?

chapter 5

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Utterson refrains from confronting Jekyll. In this way, Utterson loyally protects his friend. In contrast, Jekyll lies to Utterson, defending Hyde with a fake letter. Here, for the first time, the reader begins to see hypocrisy in Dr. Jekyll. He claims to be a loyal and honest man, but in fact he is a liar and forger. Interestingly, through Stevenson's detailed description of Jekyll's residence, the reader gains insight into the character's evolution. In the laboratory, Utterson describes "three dusty windows barred with iron." One year previous, Mr. Enfield described the same windows as, "always shut but...clean." This slight detail provides a glance into the tumbling personal world of Dr. Jekyll.

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