Dr. Jekyll is not held to account for Hyde’s wrongdoings in this universe. “But this danger was easily excluded from the years ahead by opening accounts at another bank in the name of Edward Hyde himself and when I had supplied my double with a signature by sloping my hand backward,” Dr. Jekyll writes. Dr. Jekyll was fully conscious of the state of affairs, he realized what he was practicing, and he might have stopped it from occurring, but he did not. He was scared of what might transpire if society discovered him, so providing Hyde with an additional bank account could help people realize they are two contrasting entities. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde share a memory; they can tell when they are doing what they are doing. Stevenson has changed the external aspects of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but it remains the same on the inside.
Dr. Jekyll is responsible for converting himself from Dr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll, but they are still an identical person on the inside. Mr. Hyde isn’t aware of the implications, so he cannot be blamed. Dr. Jekyll is mindful of his constraints, but he cannot be held accountable for his activities because only society forces him to do so; thus, Hyde cannot be held liable either. Despite successfully distilling his evil side, Jekyll is still a mix of good and evil. Because of years of suppression, his bad side develops stronger when converting back and forth, and he can effectively take over.
Jekyll’s experiments are thus the contrary of what he wished for. Interestingly, as repeatedly noted throughout the book, Hyde is a small man, often referred to as dwarfish, whereas Jekyll is a person of enormous stature. As a result, the reader is left with the impression that Jekyll’s evil side is far weaker and less established than his good side. Appearances, nevertheless, can be misguiding. Hyde’s capacity far outweighs that of Jekyll.
