Well, one of the principal methods which is used to help
separate the two figures and keep the fact of their actual unity a secret is the living
arrangements of both of them. Note how Dr. Jekyll lives in a wealthy and opulent home.
The laboratory, however, is described as "a certain sinister block of building." The
laboratory is neglected and dilapidated, and it is therefore symbolically fitting that
it is Mr. Hyde that is seen entering and exiting from this establishment, and that Dr.
Jekyll enters and exists from his home. Yet, as the novel makes clear, these two rooms
are actually connected, even though both buildings appear to be on two different
streets. The labyrinthine layout of the roads in this area makes it impossible to
discern that these two separate structures are actually part of one building. This makes
the concealing of the identity of Mr. Hyde a lot easier, as he can leave through the
laboratory, which is taken by all to be for all intents and purposes as a separate
building.
Of course, the connection between these two
buildings is symbolic of the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the evil
side that all of us possess, no matter how detached we look as if we are from such
sordid connections.
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