This phrase is inserted in so unobtrusive a manner as to pass almost without a reader's
comprehension of its drift. The unmistakeable suggestion, however, is that the course
of Victor's and his family's lives might have been altered if he and Clerval had been
candid about the depth and cause of his illness. Yet, Clerval is at no fault, since
he, too, is kept in the dark. Only Victor at this point could alter the narrative
logic he has set in motion: among its other aspects, his illness constitutes a deep
refuge from both reality and his responsibility for its nature.