At the outset of spring, a stranger ­ an exquisitely beautiful young woman of exotic appearance ­
             appears at the family's cottage. Felix is ecstatic to see her, kisses her hands, and refers to her as his "sweet
             Arabian"; later, the creature learns that her true name is Safe. The creature notes that her language is
             different from that of the cottagers, and that the four humans have great difficulty in understanding one
             another. They communicate largely through gesticulation, which the creature is initially unable to
             interpret; he soon realizes, however, that the cottagers are attempting to teach Safie their language. He
             secretly takes part in her lessons and, in this way, finally begins to master the art of speech. The book
             from which Safie's lessons are taken, called the Ruins of Empires, provides the creature with a cursory
             knowledge of history. He grows to understand the manners, governments, and religions of modern Man,
             and weeps over the atrocities that human beings commit against one another. Upon hearing of man's
             obsession with wealth and class, the creature turns away in disgust; he wonders what place he can have
             among such people, since he owns no property, and is absolutely ignorant of the circumstances of his
             birth. The creature curses his newfound knowledge, which has caused him to regard himself as a monster
             and an outcast. He despairs of ever gaining the fellowship of his beloved cottagers, as he is certain that
             they will recoil from his hideous appearance. At chapter's end, he is friendless, loveless, and almost
             Some time elapses before the creature learns the family's history. Their surname is De Lacey, and
             they are the last of a noble French family. Only a few months previously, they had lived in Paris; there,
             they were surrounded by luxury and a glittering coterie of friends and intimates. They had, however,
             suffered a great misfortune, which forced them to go into exile. The caus...