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De Lacey is the blind father of the French peasant family that the monster observes and comes to love. De Lacey and his two children, Felix and Agatha, once were wealthy but, after being wrongfully exiled from Paris, they were stripped of their wealth. He is a doting father to his two children and welcoming to Safie, his son’s fiancé. For instance, the monster notices that he frequently plays music to lift the spirits of his family members when their impoverished state causes them to despair. Like Alphonse Frankenstein, De Lacy represents the benevolent paternal figure that Victor refuses to be for the monster.
De Lacey’s most important scene occurs in Chapter 15. The monster has grown fond of the De Lacey family and wants to make contact. He decides to approach the blind De Lacey first, hoping to win him over while Felix, Agatha, and Safie are away. He believes that De Lacey may be able to convince the others to accept him because he will not be able to see his grotesque appearance. The monster’s hunch is correct, and the two begin to bond—at least until the rest of the De Lacey family returns home early and reacts with horror upon taking in the monster’s physical form. Here, Shelley comments on the dangers of judging those who are different. De Lacey, blind to the monster’s abnormal appearance, merely saw him as a regular person. De Lacey, then, is represents the inherent goodness that exists in human nature when not influenced by prejudice.
