Mapping Home in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson provides detailed depictions of Dr. Jekyll’s locked home and Mr. Hyde’s luxurious living space in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Stevenson provides context clues for the location of Dr. Jekyll’s house, and he notes exact neighborhoods for Mr. Hyde and Dr. Lanyon. What can we learn about these characters based on their neighborhoods? What can we learn about a character like Mr. Utterson, who does not have a real address to map?

When one examines the homes of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Lanyon on the map above, it becomes clear that Dr. Lanyon is a peripheral character—figuratively and geographically. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde live in separate, albeit close neighborhoods. Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield walk the streets of London near Dr. Jekyll’s home; their walk is the “chief jewel of each week” (6). Thus, one can infer that these two characters reside near Dr. Jekyll—or at least within walking distance. Dr. Lanyon, on the other hand, lives clear across town. Dr. Lanyon is noted as one of Jekyll’s “oldest friends” (12). While Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Lanyon operate within the same social circle, Dr. Lanyon lives in a much wealthier area.

Charles Booth famously mapped the poverty levels of London neighborhoods between 1886 and 1903. This story map examines  Booth’s map  in relation to the map above to illustrate how Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Lanyon are geographically separated by varying levels of wealth. These three characters are all located in different socioeconomic areas. When they leave their respective neighborhoods, chaos ensues.

Dr. Jekyll’s home is a fortress—a building keeping Dr. Jekyll inside and others outside. Consider Mr. Enfield's description of the back of Dr. Jekyll's house:

It seems scarcely a house. There is no other door, and nobody goes in or out of that one but, once in a great while, the gentleman of my adventure. There are three windows looking on the court on the first floor; none below; the windows are always shut but they're clean. And then there is a chimney which is generally smoking; so somebody must live there. And yet it's not so sure; for the buildings are so packed together about that court, that it's hard to say where one ends and another begins. (9)

This passage focuses on doors and windows—passageways that take one from outside to inside, from public life to private life. Two chapters of the novella are titled after these components of Dr. Jekyll’s home: “Story of the Door” and “Incident at the Window.” For Dr. Jekyll, these passageways are closed, indicting a strong desire to protect his privacy. Mr. Enfield notes the door was “equipped with neither bell nor knocker” and the house had “marks of prolonged and sordid negligence” (6). If we read the home as a representation of Dr. Jekyll, we can conclude visitors are unwelcome, and Dr. Jekyll has been neglecting his desires for some time. Furthermore, the structure of Dr. Jekyll’s house foreshadows his dual nature. Mr. Enfield notes that it is difficult to tell where one building ends and another begins. The same becomes true for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll lives in “some square or other” (9). While we are not given an exact address, scholars such as Ian Rankin have determined the location of Dr. Jekyll’s house.  In a BBC press release , Rankin notes, “Stevenson gives a detailed description of the layout of Dr. Jekyll's home. It is identical to John Hunter's." Dr. John Hunter (1728-1793) was a famous Scottish surgeon who lived in London. Like Dr. Jekyll’s home, Dr. Hunter’s home had a back entrance and was connected to a theatre and laboratory. ( You can view the layout of Hunter’s home here. ) Most importantly, Dr. Hunter’s home was located at 28 Leicester Square in London, or, “some square or other.”

The picture above shows Leicester Square on Booth’s poverty map of London. Notice that most of the homes along the square are classified as “Middle class. Well-to-do.” Stevenson affirms this middle-class category by writing, “The inhabitants [of this area] were all doing well, it seemed, and all emulously hoping to do better still” (6). Certainly, this is no place for the pleasure-seeking Mr. Hyde, as the middle class would need to follow strict social rules to keep their status. Yet, notice the gray building on the righthand side of the square. This building is the back of Dr. Jekyll's home—the entrance that Hyde uses. Booth labels this building as "Poor." Thus, there is a stark contrast between the respectable front of the house and the court behind it. Presumably, neighbors would not notice Hyde navigating this area. As we venture to the nearby Soho neighborhood to examine Mr. Hyde’s house, we enter a more uncertain area of Booth’s map.

Mr. Hyde lives in Soho. As you can see from the map at the top of this story map, Soho is right around the corner from Leicester Square. Geographically, then, Mr. Hyde is not far from Dr. Jekyll. However, as Mr. Utterson describes it, Hyde appears to live in a “district of some city in a nightmare” (23). An endnote to the novella explains, “This area had for a long time been associated with seediness and even criminality, bordering as it does on the notorious rookeries of St. Giles and Seven Dials. This area is still the centre of the capital’s sex entertainment industry” (165). Readers during Stevenson’s time would understand that Mr. Hyde’s location suggests that he is up to no good. He lives on a "dingy street," yet, his rooms are “furnished with luxury and good taste” (23-24). Stephen Arata contends Mr. Hyde’s home does not match his neighborhood. He argues, “[Hyde’s home] is not a savage's den but the retreat of a cultivated gentleman” (235). If we read Mr. Hyde’s dwelling as a representation for Mr. Hyde, we’re able to see the inner self does not always match the outside appearance. Indeed, as the story progresses, Mr. Hyde begins to look more like Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll confesses:

It had seemed to me of late as though the body of Edward Hyde had grown in stature...I began to spy a danger that, if this were much prolonged, the balance of my nature might be permanently overthrown, the power of voluntary change be forfeited, and the character of Edward Hyde become irrevocably mine. (62)

We know Mr. Hyde has the financial means to live in a more prosperous neighborhood, yet he chooses to live in Soho. Booth’s poverty map, pictured above, cannot pinpoint Soho with one categorization. Soho is classified as “Mixed. Some comfortable others poor.” The varied nature of the neighborhood accurately reflects the dual nature of Mr. Hyde. 

Last, but not least, I would like to examine the home of Dr. Lanyon. Dr. Lanyon lives and works in Cavendish Square, a “citadel of medicine” (12). Cavendish Square is known for its affluence. Readers of Stevenson’s time would immediately place Dr. Lanyon in the upper class based on his neighborhood. The image below shows Cavendish Square on Booth’s poverty map. As you can see, Booth classifies this area as “Upper-middle and upper classes. Wealthy.”

Of all the characters, Dr. Lanyon appears to be one of the loneliest. He does not have scheduled Sunday walks; he sits “alone over his wine” in his dining room (12). Dr. Lanyon’s big excursion occurs when Dr. Jekyll begs him to go to Dr. Jekyll’s house, take a drawer from Dr. Jekyll’s cabinet, and keep it safely in Cavendish Square until Mr. Hyde picks it up. Dr. Lanyon asks, “How could the presence of these articles in my house affect either the honour, the sanity, or the life of my flighty colleague? If his messenger could go to one place, why could he not go to another?” (50). The word “honor” here is important. Dr. Jekyll uses Dr. Lanyon’s distance from Leicester Square to help keep his secret. The contents of Dr. Jekyll's drawer are stored in a respectable part of town. Of course, Dr. Lanyon obliges the request and is killed from the shock of seeing Mr. Hyde turn into Dr. Jekyll.

Notably, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Lanyon can be connected to a real address in London, which is not the case for Mr. Utterson. Mr. Utterson explains that he lives on Gaunt Street (15). While there is a street with this name in London today, such a street did not exist in 1886 (Stevenson 163). I suggest Mr. Utterson’s lack of genuine, geographical roots is the reason he is the only character able to cross neighborhood lines without punishment. Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Lanyon all attempt to navigate within another neighborhood, and each character ultimately dies. Why, then, can Mr. Utterson roam as he pleases?

We are unable to place Mr. Utterson on a map, and thus, we do not have a definite idea of where he is supposed to be. Mr. Utterson does not follow the rules. Recall that while Dr. Lanyon orders a locksmith to open Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory door, Mr. Utterson demands the servant break it down (44). Instead of opening the passageway between public and private life, Mr. Utterson eliminates it entirely. Put simply, he is able to cross and break down boundaries, and yet he remains living. In this regard, Stevenson privileges mobility and freedom in the novella.

Dr. Jekyll roams Soho as Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Hyde inhabits Leicester Square as both himself and Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Lanyon lives in Cavendish Square, but he treks to Leicester Square at the request of Dr. Jekyll. When these characters leave their neighborhoods, and thus cross class divisions, trouble ensues. More specifically, trouble is found when a character enters a neighborhood below his class level, such as when Dr. Jekyll enters Soho as Mr. Hyde or when Dr. Lanyon enters Leicester Square. Examining the characters' neighborhoods reveals a subtext of anxiety about crossing class divisions. Upwards is the only path, and moving to a lower socioeconomic class is dangerous.