In Volume 3 Chapter 2 of Frankenstein Victor and Henry Clerval travel to London as Victor plans to gather supplies to create a female companion for his Creature. Victor finds London overwhelming and wants to get away to work in private. He sees London as a temporary stop before he can isolate himself to complete his task. This shows how much Victor is struggling internally and his desire to hide his secret work from others. London in the novel is more of a place he passes through, highlighting his wish to be alone as he deals with his terrible promise. 

During the early 1800s, London was a huge, growing city, becoming the biggest in the world. It was a center for business, trade, and science, but it also had big problems. There was a lot of poverty, disease, and crime because the city was growing so fast and wasn't organized well. People back then saw London as a place of great opportunity and wealth, but also as a chaotic and unhealthy city with many social problems. It was a mix of amazing progress and terrible living conditions for many.  

Knowing about London during that time helps us understand why Victor feels so uncomfortable there. His desire to escape isn't just about him it reflects the real fears people had about the chaotic and dark side of big cities. London's mix of fun and hidden problems mirrors the themes in Frankenstein like the dangers and hidden horrors that can come from ambition. Victor's need to do his secret work in private, away from society's eyes, connects to the idea that even in a bustling city, dark and dangerous things can be happening unseen. 

Sources

London Photo

Jacob, W. M., 'The Context: London: A World City', Religious Vitality in Victorian London (Oxford, 2021; online edn, Oxford Academic, 21 Oct. 2021), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192897404.003.0002, accessed 30 Sept. 2025.