The Monster's Development

The monster's early days act as a crash course through the stages of childhood development. His experiences allow him to be on par with the human race, even if he is not accepted as part of it. He is rejected and abandoned by not only his creator but by all others whom he comes in contact with. For this reason, he watches in hiding the family in the cottage. He learns many aspects of human life from these cottagers, most importantly the emotion shared among a family. This family is not at all barbarous as other humans he has come in contact with, which leads him to feel as if they are in fact his family. He spends almost all hours of his days watching and learning from them, becoming a member from the outside. He desires to ease them of their burdens by collecting firewood for them and performing other tasks which he sees Felix, the son, perform. The example set by the cottagers gives the monster a sense of life and what it is to function as a family. His abandonment has given him a desire to be part of a family and thus far, this is the only way he can safely do so.

At the end of Ch. 13, there is mention of the monster coming to understand the difference of sexes and the wonders of childbirth, proving his advancement through the psychosexual stages (Genital stage).