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Observing him in these moods I often dwelt meditatively upon the old philosophy of the Bi-Part Soul, and amused myself with the fancy of a double Dupin — the creative and the resolvent.

The narrator describes Dupin thus at the end of telling how they set up together as roommates. This description highlights the core of what makes Dupin’s mind so powerful and fascinating. He is resolvent and logical, and therefore able to make deductions in a seemingly straightforward manner, like a mathematical proof. However, and perhaps more unusually, he is truly creative. At this point in the story, we see this creativity in Dupin’s strange habits, with his night walks and love of literature. His ability to deploy both aspects of his mind becomes crucial in how he solves the murders.

“Let him talk,” said Dupin, who had not thought it necessary to reply. “Let him discourse; it will ease his conscience. I am satisfied with having defeated him in his own castle.”

After solving the case and freeing Le Bon, the prefect of the police grumbles about being bested by Dupin. Dupin has only this comment to say regarding the prefect’s annoyance. Dupin’s nonchalant affect here reveals his complete confidence in his own faculties. Additionally, his comment about “having defeated [the prefect] in his own castle,” echoes how Dupin has approached the case as a kind of game of logic against the police. Despite Dupin’s admirable intellect, his sense of triumph in “winning” seems cold in the face of such a horrible murder.

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