How is Mr. Hyde connected to the Victorian idea of a divided self?

Mr. Hyde, the malevolent alter ego of Dr. Jekyll in Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, is intrinsically linked to the Victorian concept of a divided self. This idea, prevalent during the Victorian era, explored the tension between outward respectability and hidden, often darker, desires.12

Dr. Jekyll, a respected gentleman, creates Mr. Hyde through a potion, intending to separate his good and evil natures. However, Hyde becomes increasingly dominant, symbolizing the darker, repressed aspects of Victorian society that were often concealed beneath a veneer of strict morality and social order. The novella suggests that evil can be a potent, albeit smaller, part of a person's total personality, capable of forceful expression. This duality resonated with the Victorian public's awareness of the potential for hypocrisy and the struggle between public persona and private impulses.12