This is an illustration of an event in chapter seven of William Ainsworth's The Tower of London. In this chapter, Cuthbert Cholmondeley wakes up on a dungeon floor, chained to the floor and thinks he is living in a nightmare. He then falls asleep for a long period of time, and wakes to a loud scream. He sees a frightening figure in the shadows and it moves towards him, ultmately grabbing his hand and pursues him as he tries to move away, while shrieking in his ear "My child, my child! – you have taken my child!"
This illustration shows the true nature of a Gothic romance novel and ties to themes of dungeons, castles, dark (shadow-like) figures, and paralyizing fear. This also showcases the unrealistic aspects of the gothic novel, as seen in Christabel and The Castle of Otranto.
Works Cited: https://victorianweb.org/art/illustration/cruikshank/tol/15.html