Stevenson, throughout the play, presents the Victorian aristocracy as being duplicitous in nature and as leading double lives in secret, hidden away from public view. Stevenson, in the extract, uses parallels to present an atmosphere of secrecy. For example, "I mean to henceforth lead a life of extreme seclusion." The noun "seclusion" suggests that Jekyll is wishing to avoid all social interaction as a whole, creating a mysterious air of suspicion that surrounds him. This is accentuated by the use of "extreme" as an amplifier to suggest that the reason for Jekyll's decision to hide from public view must be dire. Similarly, Utterson references his "inner corner of his private safe." "Inner" suggests that his life is vast, beyond public suspicion and that is reinforced by the noun "safe" suggesting it is crucial that he guard his reputation. Perhaps Stevenson is prompting the reader to question the facades of all people they meet, even if they appear trustable like Utterson. During the Victorian period, there were incredibly high standards for the behaviour of the upper class as they wanted to ensure that they maintained their reputation. Stevenson uses the character of Utterson to condemn Victorian attitudes to homosexuality. For example, Utterson recalls about having "sensual" dreams about Jekyll. The emotive adjective "sensual" creates a stark contrast to the reader's previous assessment of Utterson, who was thought to have "a rugged countenance that couldn't be lit with even a smile," thus showing that he does have emotions but only under a vast blanket of masked emotions. Furthermore, Hyde is referred to as only entering the house through the "rear door". Whilst being a subtle anatomical reference, the adjective "rear" reinforces the ideas of secrecy, suggesting that Hyde/Jekyll wants to keep his true romantic attractions hidden from public view, thus personifying his house to reflect his seemingly normal face but also his socially unacceptable feelings. The theme of homosexuality is also presented through the lack of female characters in the nove, with the maid being the only one. Carew is feminised "an aged and beautiful man" to perhaps substitute for the missing female characters. During the Victorian period in 1885, an amendment was made law by Parliament which made gross indecency illegal, thus attacking the homosexual community in the United Kingdom. Perhaps Stevenson is condemning this amendment through the characters of Utterson and Jekyll, as he personally was known to have a close circle of homosexual friends. This creates an atmosphere of hidden lives through the novella as the two characters are forced to supress their true emotions in order to protect their reputations. Also, Stevenson uses the character of Enfield to suggest the duplicity of the aristocracy. For example, Enfield is walking home "at three o'clock of a black winter morning" when he witnesses Hyde trample the girl. The adjective "black" has connotations of the Gothic conventions, thus creating an atmosphere of mystery. This is reaffirmed by the use of time, as three o'clock is thought to be the witching hour, suggesting that Enfield might have underlying immoral thoughts despite his high status. Furthermore, he describes himself as having a "long tongue". This suggests that he is prone to gossiping about current affairs and reflects his comfort to do this due to his familiarity with Utterson. During the Victorian period, the aristocracy followed an unwritten "Gentleman's Code" that outlined the generally acceptable behaviours during the period. Gossiping was an activity that was frowned upon by others. Stevenson uses Enfield's behaviours with his close friends to suggest that he lives two lives: one, where he breaks the Code with his friends, and another where his reputation is key. This creates an atmosphere of hidden lives and secrets as the reader is provoked to think about what else Enfield could be hiding, given his short time in the novel, yet his immediately noticeable attributes. Stevenson used parallels to create a hidden atmosphere in the novella. For example, Jekyll states "man is not truly one but two." This presents the recurring theme of duplicity in the novel and sets up for further conflicts between two sides. For example, "unscientific balderdash" highlights the clear split between religion and science during the period. The sibilance of "unscientific" suggests that Lanyon has sinister views on the topic of evolution, thus reaffirming the duplicitous nature of the upper class. Lanyon's dismissal of evolution reflects the Victorian view on the fin-de-siècle at the time, which was the slow shift of views from traditional to modern. However, given the slow speed of the shift, Jekyll is forced to suppress his scientific thoughts.