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Adrian Singleton is a young gentleman who falls under Dorian Gray’s terrible influence and is ruined. Adrian is a side character who is first mentioned in passing when Basil comes to Dorian’s house to warn him of the disturbing reputation he’s garnering in society. Basil has heard rumors that Adrian is a potential victim of Dorian’s misconduct, and refers to his “dreadful end,” although he does not extrapolate further. Later, the complete details are revealed when Dorian visits one of the opium dens he haunts, where he comes across his former friend Adrian. The young man, clearly under the drug’s influence, confesses listlessly to having been abandoned by his friends and family due to the destruction of his reputation. His relationship with Dorian resulted in an opium addiction and complete ostracization from society and from his upper-class family. Tragically, his addiction causes him to have little interest in attempting to regain his position. Rather, he’s content to live out his days in the opium den. He tells Dorian that as long as he has access to the drug, he is no longer in need of friends.
Adrian’s character serves to illustrate the extent of Dorian’s negative influence on society. While Dorian’s supernatural health and beauty allow him to indulge in the worst of vices, both physical and social, without consequence, his companions cannot escape the repercussions of partaking in Dorian’s sinful lifestyle. Many of Dorian’s associates meet untimely ends through suicide, such as Sibyl Vane and Alan Campbell, while others destroy their reputations and are stripped of their privileges. Adrian has already suffered the latter, and his sad state at the opium den suggests that his death will eventually follow, as his dependence on the drug is so severe that it will surely ravage his health and wallet. Along with being a shocking reminder of the consequences of Dorian’s life philosophy, Adrian’s presence in the novel also exposes that Dorian is deeply in denial about his negative influence over others. He’s disturbed by the hopelessness of Adrian’s circumstances, and he experiences a flicker of concern regarding his own part in the man’s downward spiral, but he convinces himself that he cannot be held accountable for another person’s actions. Through this self-delusion, we see that the condition of Dorian’s soul is grave – not only does he carelessly coerce others into ruining their own lives, but his narcissism, immaturity, and mental weakness allow him to avoid responsibility.
